A Dive into Paradise
by sonicdash759
Summary: As a marine biologist it is the duty of Nicole Porter and her Pokemon to study the seas and help better understand the Pokemon that live in it. But what happens when an entire tropical island filled with new and mysterious Pokemon is discovered by both good and evil? This Beya region girl must now race against time to save the island from pirates and their smuggling plans.
1. Chapter 1

It was a cold winter's day in Paloma City, a small and quaint little spot located by the sea in the now bustling-and-booming Beya Region. The fever of Christmas was in the air as snow lightly fell from above and every shop and home was decorated with colorful lights, wreaths, trees, and ornaments. Even the tallest building in the city which was dubbed "Tower 22" had a large tree made of lights proudly standing on the roof. It seemed every inch of Paloma was in the Christmas spirit. Except for one…

A worn out aged building overshadowed by its neighboring shops. It was rather small with flickering letters making up the name: CHAPULIN PETS. The building had clear signs of abuse and age with cracked and chipped grey walls, graffiti left by troublesome youngsters, as well as a layer of dust on some parts.

A 5-year-old brown-haired girl with ocean blue eyes, Nicole Porter, was walking down the busy streets with her mother and father. The cold weather urged her to wear a pink coat with matching mittens, somewhat tight jeans, and white snow boots which seemed to blend in with the powdery snow on the sidewalk she stepped on.

The family stopped to look at the failing business.

Nicole's mother sighed as she adjusted her violet scarf. "Looks like he really is going out of business after all. I really wish we could help," she sadly said.

Nicole's father nodded. "Nothing we can do though. I heard this is his last day open. Poor guy's been suffering since that incident with the Lillipup," he recalled.

Their daughter, however, was focused on the tiny Pokemon in the window. A small, brown, foxlike creature with pointed ears, creamy fluffy scruff, and poofy tail with a creamy tip; A baby Eevee. Nicole gasped before tugging at her mother's arm. "Mother! Look Look!" she pointed out.

Nicole's mother followed her daughter's gaze to the shop's window and noticed the little Pokemon too. "Aw! Yes, honey. I see the Eevee. It's cute isn't it?" she asked, looking down at the girl.

Suddenly, Nicole ran towards the store, barely avoiding being hit by an oncoming semi.

The girl's parents gave chase, crossing the street when it was safe. "Nicole!" they yelled.

Nicole payed them no attention as she approached the window and peered in, knocking on the glass to grab the attention normal-type creature. "Hi Eevee!" she greeted.

At first, the baby Pokemon was startled; this fear turned into curiosity and joy as it approached the window eager to greet its visitor. It sniffed the girl's hand only to be met with the boring scent of glass. "V-vee...eevee." it squeaked.

Nicole just giggled as she watched the Eevee attempt to familiarize itself with the stranger. "Hi there, Eevee! My name is Nicole!" she greeted happily.

Suddenly she was scooped up by her mother who had a relieved expression on her face. "Nicole Porter! Don't you EVER run off like that again!" she strictly said before holding her daughter close.

Nicole frowned. "But mother, I just wanted to say hi to Eevee!" she attempted to explain, pointing to the normal-type in the window who now had a confused expression.

Both parents suddenly noticed an elderly man in a checkered shirt, black pants, and snow boots exit the store with a ring of keys in his shaking hand. The man noticed them too and raised an eyebrow. "Can I help you with something?" he asked.

Nicole smiled. "Can I please have the Eevee in the window? Please mister?" she asked sweetly.

Nicole's father frowned. "Nicole!" he scolded.

Nicole had a teary and saddened expression on her face. "But Daddy!"

Nicole's mother broke them up. "Honey! Think about it! Owning a pet teaches children how to be responsible!"

After much thinking, the girl's father sighed with smile. "Oh alright...But this counts as your Christmas present, ok Nicole?" he asked.

Nicole nodded, smiling. "Yes daddy!" she agreed.

The girl's father approached the man. "How much for the Eevee in the window?" he asked.

The man sighed. "Sorry but I'm closing up shop. I'll be back in the morning to take that thing to a Pokemon shelter or maybe release it into the wild or something," he sadly exclaimed.

Nicole began to tear up. "Wh-what? No! Please mister! It's Christmas!" she pleaded.

But the man's mind was set. "I'm sorry kid but there's nothing I can do unless I get the money to keep this place going for a few more days, this shop is closed."

Nicole's parents frowned as their daughter began to cry.

"How much do you need?" asked the mother.

"I'm afraid it'll be around $151,000 not including the Eevee…" the man said.

Nicole's parents swore they felt their hearts stopping for a second. "Nicole, sweetie, don't cry. We can go to another pet store! Maybe there's another Pokemon out there that you'd like!" the mother insisted.

But Nicole refused to budge. "But I want the Eevee!" she protested.

In the end though, Nicole was hauled away in a weeping, teary mess.

The store owner shook his head before finishing locking up then walking home with a sad expression, unaware that something in his store was absent...

Nicole was outside in the backyard of her house which was coated in ankle-deep snow. The girl sat alone, watching the snowfall, thinking of how much fun she would be having with her Eevee had her parents agreed to the old man. But alas, Nicole sniffled, mounting some snow together, trying to make a snowman all by herself.

Finally, the girl's mother could watch no more as she stepped outside wearing a sweater and scarf along with her jeans and snow boots. "Nicole? Are you ok?" she softly asked.

The girl didn't answer.

"Nicole...I know you really wanted that Eevee but we just don't have the money. There's nothing we can do. I'm sorry sweetie. Maybe there's something else you want?" asked the mother.

Nicole sadly shook her head.

With a sigh, her mother reached down and patted her daughter on the head. "Don't be sad, Nicole. You're making me sad too. And come in soon. I'm making hot cocoa." she advised before heading inside.

Nicole just nodded before continuing on with her attempt at a snowman until she heard a familiar cry.

"V-Vee."

The girl immediately perked up and looked around for the source but only finding snow. "H-Hello? Who's there?" she asked.

Then she saw a familiar set of ears poke out from the wooden fence separating her backyard from others. Long, brown, and pointed ears.

Nicole gasped and stood up, immediately forgetting about her sloppy snowman as she stepped all over it. "Eevee!" she cried, running towards the fluffy Pokemon.

The baby Eevee struggled over the fence, ending up face down in the snow before getting back up and fighting the cold to reach its new friend. "Vee! Vee!"

Nicole scooped the young normal type in her arms and pulled it into a hug all while laughing. "Eevee! You found me!"

Nicole's mother rushed out as soon as she heard her daughter yelling. "Nicole! What is it?" she asked, panicking.

The girl ran over with the Pokemon in her arms, smiling. "Mother! Look! Eevee came to our house!" she gleefully answered.

But the mother didn't understand as she gasped and pulled her daughter inside, leaving the Eevee outside in the cold. "Nicole! Are you hurt?! Did it attack you?!" she questioned, checking the girl over for injuries.

"Mom! That's Eevee from the store! Remember? It didn't hurt me! It wants to be friends!" the girl reassured.

But the mother was positive this wasn't the aforementioned normal type. "No Nicole! It's a wild Pokemon! It can hurt you! Did you learn NOTHING at school?"

Nicole was determined to prove her mother wrong, stepping back outside and picking up the innocent Pokemon, allowing it to lick her and shower her with nuzzles and love. The girl laughed and returned the affection with some nuzzles of her own.

The girl's mother was about to lash out but soon saw that her daughter was in no danger. "NICO...N-Nicole? But...how did it even get here on its own?" she asked.

Her curiosity was short-lived as she noticed a small bunch of Pokemon including a Rattata, a Bidoof, a Starly, and a Glameow, all peeking over the wooden fence, smiling.

Nicole and her mother were amazed before the posse of normal types fled into the wild.

Nicole's mother sighed. "Whoo boy...this is gonna be quite the story to tell your father…"

The girl giggled. "So since Eevee's here..."

The woman nodded, smiling. "We'll see what your father says but as far as I'm concerned, Yes Nicole! Eevee can stay."

Nicole squealed along with her new friend before hugging her mother. "Thank you, Mother! I love you! And I promise I'll take care of Eevee! I'll feed it and play with it and give it baths and-"

Nicole's mother cut her off, placing a finger on the girl's mouth. "Ok sweetie! I get it. But have you decided on a name yet? You'll have to call her something! Plain old Eevee just gets boring, you know?" she asked.

Nicole nodded before turning back to her fluffy friend. "A name?"

The Eevee waggled its poofy tail excitedly. "Eev! Eevee Eevee Eev!" she squeaked.

Nicole giggled. "How about Eve?"

Nicole's mother chuckled. "I don't know, honey...sounds kinda simple to me, and there will be no simple names in this family! How about Evelyn instead?" she asked.

An idea flew into the little girl's head. "Isn't Eve short for Evelyn? So...her name isn't just Eve after all! We're really calling her Evelyn!"

The woman smiled. "That's true. Then it's settled. Welcome to the family, Evelyn. We're ever so happy to meet you, isn't that right Nicole?" she asked.

Nicole nodded, giggling as she pulled the little normal type in for another hug. "Yes mother! Welcome Evelyn! We're gonna be the bestest friends!"

Evelyn smiled, happy to be part of the girl's life as well as having a new home. "Eevee Eev, Veevee."

14 YEARS LATER

"C'mon Aqua! We've got field work to do!"

Dressed in her casual sky-blue tank top, blue jean shorts, white socks, and water-resistant beige running shoes, the 19 year old marine biologist hoisted her luggage bags onto her white research trawler one by one before boarding the ship herself. Looking around, the girl searched the dock for her assistant who was running late for the second time that week.

Then she spotted a familiar sight. A blue four-legged creature with rather wet skin, a mermaid-like tail, and a frilled white collar as well as finned ears and a dorsal fin at the top of its head. A Vaporeon.

Nicole sighed, relieved to see her friend. "And I thought I couldn't get out of bed! Let's go, Aqua! We have a deadline to meet and I'm _not_ disappointing my boss again!" she snapped.

Aqua slowed down, looking down sadly. "Por...Napor…" she whimpered.

Nicole gasped then slapped herself in the forehead. Cranky girl struck again. "I'm sorry, Aqua...I lashed out again didn't I? I'm just serious when it comes to work! Remember last time we 'slacked off?' My boss flipped. I don't want to do it again! Marine biology is where I belong!" she proudly stated.

Aqua felt a little better, understanding her trainer being held to high expectations. But still, she wished for another day off from work for some more playtime. "Por Por!" she mewed before hopping onto the boat, ready to set sail.

Nicole smiled and knelt down for a quick series of pets to her beloved water type, reassuring her that everything was ok. "No hard feelings sis! I may get mad but we're still sisters, right?"

Aqua gave a cheerful, friendly smile before nuzzling her friend, returning the affection. "Vap! Vapor Por, Napor!" she cried.

Nicole nodded. "And nothing can bring us down! But right now, we're on the clock so let's set sail and see what awaits us!" she exclaimed.

Aqua nodded back, watching her trainer start the boat's engine and finally setting course for the ocean surrounding their home region, Beya.

The propellers spun to life, eventually gaining enough power to push the vessel forward.

Nicole and Aqua took one last look at their home, Paloma City, before setting off towards the open ocean.

The water was clear and blue as the rising sun's light bathed the ocean with a dazzling display of sparkle. As the boat sped along, the wild Pelipper and Wingull seemed to follow overhead, riding the windy currents and seeming to enjoy themselves.

The ride was interrupted as a large shark-like Pokemon launched out of the water and was amazingly able to clear the front of the trawler, barely missing a collision by inches!

In a blind panic, Nicole shut the engines off and rushed out to the side, wanting to know what she almost hit. "What in the world was that?!" she wondered.

Aqua dashed out and joined her trainer in the search "Por Por Poreon!"

After a few seconds, the wild Pokemon surfaced, revealing itself to be a dark grey shark-like creature with a long, chainsaw-like snout, sharp teeth, and a tail with a long, powerful tip.

Nicole was surprised. "Whoa! Isn't that a Razark?" she then reached into her back pocket and pulled out a red rectangular device. Holding the device close to her mouth, she spoke. "Pokedex scan."

The device beeped before scanning the area visible in the camera lens. It made another beeping sound as the screen showed an entry with a picture of the Pokemon.

"RAZARK, THE RAZOR SHARK POKEMON.

THIS WATER-TYPE'S SNOUT ACTS LIKE A SAW BLADE, REQUIRING QUICK AND NIMBLE ATTACKS TO BRING DOWN ITS PREY. IN ORDER TO KEEP THEIR SNOUTS SHARP, THEY SEARCH FOR TOUGH OPPONENTS AND OFTEN MISTAKE WATERCRAFT FOR POKEMON."

Nicole turned the device off and stuffed it back in her shorts before looking back to the wild Razark. "So we were just mistaken for lunch! Still! A wild Razark! Don't see those around very much which means this guy needs tagging!"

Aqua read her trainer's mind as she rushed back into the ship's cabin, emerging shortly with an object resembling a gun of sorts.

Nicole smiled. "Thanks Aqua!" she then turned back to the wild Razark which appeared to be getting impatient. "Now just hold still for the tag gun, Razark. This might hurt a little…"

With a pull of the trigger, the gun fired a small tracking tag at the wild Razark which would pierce the skin, immediately sending out a chemical which would take away the pain of being shot.

Unfortunately, the shot missed its target who was ready for the gun to fire.

Nicole grinned. "I expected as much! Looks like we'll have to do this the hard way!" she then turned to Aqua. "You know the drill, Aqua! Time to get wet!" she winked.

Aqua smiled before jumping over the side of the boat into the water below, ready for battle.

The wild Razark made its first move, charging at the opponent with its snout aimed right at the other water-type.

Nicole quickly realized that if she just ordered to dodge, the shark Pokemon might end up ramming the ship and leaving a breach in the hull, eventually leading to the entire vessel sinking. "Aqua! Swift!" she ordered.

Aqua did as told, summoning a series of star-shaped projectiles then sending them rocketing at the wild Razark. A direct hit!

Nicole pumped a fist in the air. "Way to go, Aqua! Now let's use Ice Beam!"

With the foe still recovering from the Swift, it had no time to react as a beam of icy energy struck. But now the Razark was more mad than hurt. It shook off the pain before continuing the charge, finally landing a hit on Aqua with its sharp snout in a powerful Aqua Jet.

Nicole gasped. "Aqua!"

The water-type fell back into the water but easily withstood the impact and nodded, signifying to her trainer she was still in fighting condition. "Vapor!" she cried.

Nicole smiled and nodded. "Let's try and stay away from the boat. A sinking ship is the last thing we want!" she advised.

Aqua nodded, understanding her trainer's concern. "Por!"

"Now let's...wait...where'd it go?" the girl asked, looking around in confusion.

Suddenly, Aqua was sent flying! The wild Razark had used Dive in hopes of catching the two off guard. It worked.

Aqua came back down with a splash but was far from done. "Vapor!"

Nicole smiled. "That's it! Now it's our turn! Use Shadow Ball!"

Aqua began charging up a blob of dark shadowy energy before hurling it at the opponent. "Vap!"

The wild Razark was too slow to dodge as the attack found its mark, sending the water/steel type flying before coming back down. It came back up, now looking rather exhausted.

Nicole beamed. "It's weakened! Now let's finish it off with Take Down!"

Aqua dove under before shooting towards the surface, going airborne then coming back down right on top of the wild Razark with a painful impact.

The wild Razark slowly floated to the surface, eyes swirling. The shark Pokemon had fainted.

Aqua came back up and swam to the rear of the research trawler. With a powerful pump of her tail, the water-type was back on solid ground and wrapped in the arms of her cheering trainer.

"Way to go, sis! You were awesome out there!" the girl congratulated.

Aqua smiled and nuzzled her friend. "Por Por Vapor, Napor!" she sheepishly thanked.

Nicole giggled before making her way back to the side of the ship and readying her tag gun once again. "Ok Razark. This'll sting a little…" she warned.

With the trigger pulled again, the gun fired another tag. This time however, the object found its mark on the Razark's tailfin, immediately activating upon impact.

Nicole smiled. "There we go!" she then began to feel bad for the wild Pokemon. Pulling out a few bits of Pokemon food from a container stored in the cabin, she tossed a few pieces into the water for the Razark to eat. "Bon Appetit, big guy! Enjoy!" she chuckled before putting the food away and returning to the controls.

Aqua immediately joined her, still wet from the battle but her trainer didn't seem to mind. "Vaporeon Por!" she cried.

Nicole nodded. "Right! Onward!" she exclaimed before starting the engine again and driving the vessel onwards to the coordinates on the map hanging over the girl's head.

With a splash, Nicole dove into the water, eager to collect some samples and notes for her work. Now in only her cyan two-piece swimsuit, she grabbed onto her Vaporeon with a hiss from her mouthpiece as she exhaled. She'd need plenty of air in order to stay down long enough to get some solid samples as well as talk to and give orders to her Pokemon.

With a nod from her trainer, Aqua dove down to the sea bed, a large coral reef becoming more visible as they got closer.

The sight was breathtaking. Structures of many sizes and shapes as well as a multitude of aquatic Pokemon thriving about from Finneon and Mantyke to Clamperl and Corsola. There were also plenty of Beya region Pokemon that Nicole wasn't too familiar with.

Lucky for the girl, her Pokedex was waterproof and made custom to withstand large amounts of pressure from the deep ocean. Nicole noticed a group of small and colorful fish-like Pokemon swimming nearby. Some were a single color, while others were two or three. Some had stripes or markings on their bodies and others were just plain simple. With a smile, Nicole activated her Pokedex once again and pointed it at the fish.

"TROPIGILL, THE COLORFUL FISH POKEMON.

WITH EACH COLOR, THERE IS A DIFFERENT BEHAVIORAL PATTERN. FOR EXAMPLE, ORANGE TROPIGILL SEEK SHELTER IN THE ARMS OF ANEMONEA WHILE DARK BLUE ONES MAKE THEIR HOMES IN SMALL HOLLOW CREVICES."

Nicole's eyes then fell on an odd pink creature with large arms resembling the base of an anemone with tentacle-like appendages following. It had small dot-like eyes and a small mouth, formed into a calm expression.

"ANEMONEA, THE SEA PLANT POKEMON.

THE LONG TENTACLE HANDS ACT AS A HOME FOR CERTAIN COLORS OF TROPIGILL, PROVIDING PROTECTION AS WELL AS SHELTER. ANY DANGEROUS PREDATORS THAT TOUCH THESE TENTACLES ARE STUNG WITH A POWERFUL VENOM BEFORE BECOMING FOOD FOR BOTH ANEMONEA AND TROPIGILL."

Before reaching the reef, one last Pokemon caught Nicole and Aqua's attention.

It was a small mermaid-like creature with a pale blue skin coloration, large eyes with simple black pupils, no nose, a mouth, short blue hair, and a black marking on its torso, giving the illusion of a tank top of sorts. It had a body structure to that of a human child or toddler though its hands were just circular stumps. As for the rest of it, a green mermaid tail.

"SIRINI, THE YOUNG SIREN POKEMON.

UNLIKE IT'S NEXT AND FINAL STAGE OF EVOLUTION, LULLAMERA, IT HAS YET TO FULLY DEVELOP ITS SINGING VOICE AND ISN'T AS GOOD AT SWIMMING EITHER. ENJOYING THE COMPANY OF HUMANS, THEY ARE A COMMON SIGHT FOR BEACHGOERS AND SWIMMERS."

Nicole turned the device off and attached it back onto her belt which also held her two other Pokemon and 3 small tubes for collecting samples. Letting go of Aqua, she kicked her legs and swam around, looking for anything worth collecting. "Let me know if you find anything, ok Aqua?" she asked.

Aqua nodded. "Por, Napor!" she replied an affirmative before swimming off, careful to stay nearby in case her trainer would ever need anything.

Nicole continued on, searching high and low for any samples until something finally caught her eye.

A piece of a Corsola twig.

"Aha!" the girl exclaimed, pulling off a sample tube, opening it, picking up the Corsola twig, and placing it inside before closing the container and clipping it back onto her belt.

"Por!"

Nicole's heart skipped a beat she was so startled. Kicking her legs, she swam over to her friend, wondering what she might've found. "Aqua? Aqua! What is it? You found something?" she asked.

The water type smiled, nodding eagerly. "Vaporeon, Napor!" she cried, pointing a paw towards the sand below her.

Nicole nodded and searched the sand before another Corsola twig caught her eye. This one however was much larger than the one she had found. "Whoa! Good eye, Aqua!" she remarked. Taking the tube that had the other twig, Nicole decided the larger one was worth studying. After replacing the sample, she clipped the container back onto her belt with a nod before turning back to her friend. "Nice work! Keep it up and we might just have some time for play later on!" she smiled, petting the water type's dorsal fin.

The thought of playtime excited Aqua. Unable to contain her joy, she gave her trainer a playful nudge before darting off to look for more samples. "Por Vapor!" she squealed.

Nicole giggled at her friend's child-like behaviour before swimming after her, deciding to change tactics. "Hey! Aqua wait! Actually, let's just look together! I think it'd be faster if we're helping each other out instead of looking on our own!" she suggested.

Aqua, of course, was thrilled. "Por Por, Napor!" she answered with a nod.

Nicole nodded back before deciding it would be much easier if they had an extra hand. "Let's get Aria out here! Thing's will go much faster!" she then pulled off one of the balls from her belt, enlarged it, and threw it in front of her. "C'mon out, Aria!"

In a bright flash, Nicole's song-loving Lullamera materialized with a cheerful "Lulla~!"

Nicole smiled. "Ready for work, Aria? We need to find some samples! Sound good?" she asked through her breathing device.

Aria nodded, even going as far as giving a military salute. "La Mer!" she replied.

Nicole giggled and nodded back before kicking her legs, continuing onward with Aqua. "Ok! Just stay close and keep your eyes open for anything interesting!" she instructed.

Aria nodded before pumping her blue mermaid tail and following the two, looking around for any samples worth studying.

Then her eyes fell on something long and noodle-like.

Aria motioned the two over and pointed to the coral where she'd spotted it. "Lulla!"

Nicole followed the water/dark type's gaze and gasped. "Isn't that an Anemonea tentacle?" she wondered before pulling out her Pokedex once again and scanning the object. After a few beeps, the device read out the information on-screen.

"THE TENTACLE OF AN ANEMONEA IS HIGHLY SENSITIVE TO AGGRESSORS UNLESS THE ANEMONEA CONSIDERS THE STRANGER AS FRIENDLY OR PASSIVE. WHEN SEVERED OR SHED FROM THE POKEMON, THESE TENTACLES CAN STILL STING. RESEARCHERS AND BIOLOGISTS ARE URGED TO USE EXTREME CAUTION AND CARE WHEN STUDYING THEM."

Nicole frowned. "Well, not everything is easy. Hmm…." she thought for a moment until a lightbulb went off. She smiled and turned to Aqua. "Vaporeon can control water! Think you can get the tentacle upwards a bit? Just enough to let it fall into the sample tube?" she asked, pulling said item from her belt and opening it.

Aqua nodded before focusing on the water. A small but strong current began to form, pushing the tentacle from its resting place towards the side before quickly changing in speed and force, lifting the appendage upwards.

Nicole held the tube steady as the current ceased, letting the tentacle gently float downwards and finally into the container. Sealing it up, Nicole clipped it back onto her belt with a sigh before turning back to Aqua. "Good job, Aqua! And good eye, Aria!" she congratulated.

Both Pokemon smiled before continuing onwards with their trainer.

A few minutes later, Nicole had found her last sample much to her delight. "Alright girls! That's sample number three! We're done here and it's time to-" she froze as a low humming caught her attention. "...Do you hear that?" she asked.

Aqua and Aria fell silent as they listened. Both nodding their heads, they could hear it too as it grew louder and louder.

Nicole looked around, trying to find a possible source before her eyes urged her to look back. Her eyes widened with shock as she let out a gasp.

A huge fishing vessel roared overhead, its crew completely oblivious to the three beneath the waves.

But that wasn't what had Nicole so shocked.

A large fishing net glided towards the girl and her Pokemon, attached to a crane aboard the ship. Millions of water types swam in a panic, trying to avoid being captured as the net drew closer.

Nicole screamed before kicking her legs as hard as she could, grabbing onto her Pokemon. "Swim away!" she yelled.

Aqua and Aria looked back in horror before doing the same, swimming as fast as they could.

But panic caused the three friends to lose each other in the crowd of fleeing water types.

Nicole managed to swim out of the net's path to safety before remembering her Pokemon. "Aqua? Aria? Where are you?" she called out.

Aqua immediately raced to the girl's side upon hearing her name. "Napor! Por Poreon Vaporee?" she asked.

Nicole nodded. "I'm ok! But where's Aria?!" she questioned.

"RIA! AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Nicole and Aqua looked towards the net to find that Aria's tail was wedged between the rope and a struggling Pokemon inside!

The crew manning the controls onboard were ready to pull in their load of Pokemon as the crane began reeling in the chain.

Aqua darted towards the net with Nicole holding onto the water type's body.

Nicole grabbed onto the net before making her way towards Aria. "Hang on, Aria! We'll get you out of there!" she reassured before grabbing the rope and pulling as hard as she could.

Aqua grabbed onto the other end of the rope holding Aria in place and pulled as well.

Aria felt the grip on her tail beginning to loosen. She tried wriggling and squirming again, trying to get free. It was then that she felt half of her tailfin come free. "Lulla!?"

Now with the net halfway out of the water, Nicole and Aqua had to hurry.

With every ounce of strength they had, the two continued pulling on the rope. "C'mon Aqua! We can do this!"

Aria continued to shake and wriggle, feeling herself becoming more loose with every flick of her tail.

At last, with one final pull, Aria's tail came free from the net just as it cleared the surface of the water.

Aria immediately tackled her trainer with a hug, eternally grateful. "Lulla Lulla, Merla! Lullamera!" she cried.

Nicole laughed. "Ok! Ok, Aria! It was nothing!" she looked up and sighed. "That was a close one...But we're all in one piece, right?" she asked.

Aqua and Aria nodded in unison.

Nicole nodded back. "Ok...we got our samples! Now let's head back to the boat! I still gotta study these things."

Aqua nodded before allowing her trainer to grab on. "Vap!" she happily mewed.

Aria followed with a smile, happy to still be free and with her trainer.

The sun was high in the sky, drenching the area with heat and making the seawater below dazzle and twinkle with the light of the midday. The wild Wingull and Pelipper that had followed Nicole's white research trawler were now resting both in the water and on the railing of the boat saving their strength for the next flight.

Out in the ocean, Aqua and Aria were splashing around in the water and enjoying themselves while their trainer was hard at work in the research vessel's cabin, studying the samples she and her Pokemon had collected.

Just like the boat, the cabin was rather small, separated into a small bedroom, dining area, and the heart of it all, Nicole's workspace, consisting of a long metal desk under a few cabinets nailed to the wall and a hanging light. It felt like a tiny apartment but it was the cheapest research vessel Nicole could afford and honestly, she wouldn't have it any other way. Aside from the door, two porthole windows were the only means of seeing the outside world: one located in Nicole's bedroom and the other in her workspace. It was no garage or attic but Nicole could still get around and store food, supplies, and anything else she'd need while out at sea.

Nicole was never alone, even during her work at the microscope. Standing at her side was a Gardevoir with a necklace containing a special Gardevoirite stone.

Nicole sighed as she took another look through the microscope, picking up a pen and paper and jotting down her observations and notes. She paused for a bit upon hearing a voice in her mind.

(Hm. I see how you and River managed to forge a good friendship. There's never a dull moment when either of you two are in the water.)

Nicole wasn't surprised as she turned to the psychic/fairy type with a blushed smile. "Heh right," she sweatdropped.

The Gardevoir was capable of telepathy, able to communicate with her trainer through thought. While she was perfectly capable of her own Pokemon speech, she prefered to try her hand at the human language. She had a love for knowledge after all.

Nicole finished another page of her notes before turning back to her Pokemon. "Still, that incident back there...ugh! Sometimes I just wish I could do something about humanity bothering the ocean so much. It just pains me to see such innocent water types get taken away like that…You know what I mean, Luna?" she asked.

The Gardevoir known as Luna nodded, showing a sympathetic expression. (I understand your feelings, Nicole, but honestly...I don't understand how humans can be so cruel...But I see what you're getting at. Atleast we're both in favor for helping the world of Pokemon instead of hindering it…) she smiled.

Nicole smiled back and nodded. "Right…" she sighed before turning back to her work, looking through the microscope, then turning back to Luna. "Ok. I'm done with this sample. Next slide?" she asked.

Luna nodded, focusing her mind, and sensing the world around her before using a weak form of Confusion to mentally grab the desired slide for her trainer then switching it out for the one the girl was finished with. (The large Corsola twig, correct?)

Nicole nodded. "Yeah. Thanks Luna."

Luna smiled. (You're welcome!)

The girl went back to work, carefully analyzing and studying the sample before her, tediously jotting down her observations on a new page. It was then when she heard a familiar cry come from outside.

"Napor!"

Nicole however wasn't phased as Aqua had a tendency to lose patience when she was promised playtime. The brown haired girl sighed as she turned to the porthole window. "Not now Aqua! I'm still busy!" she yelled before going back to work.

"Napor!"

Nicole felt a hint of surprise but still remained unconcerned. "Still busy! I'll be out when I'm done!" she reassured before starting another paragraph on her notes.

"Merla!"

Now the girl was rather worried. Aria never yelled for her trainer unless it was important. She quickly finished the sentence she was on before a tense expression on Luna's face caught her attention. "Luna? What is it?" she asked.

The Gardevoir pointed out the porthole window towards the view of the open water. In the distance, a series of intense flashes and lights lit up the sky. (Nicole! Look out there! Those flashes...they can't be from another ship!) she exclaimed.

Nicole nodded as she followed the psychic/fairy type's gaze. "...Something's up."

Before either water type's could call out to their trainer again, Nicole burst out the door to the ship's cabin and rushed to the side, staring in the direction of the lights that somehow outshined even the midday sunlight. "What is that?"

But just as quickly as they started, the mysterious flashes stopped, leaving Nicole and her Pokemon wondering that they'd just witnessed.

Aria finally broke the silence as she backed away towards the rear of the boat, looking uneasy. "...L-Lulla Lullamera."

Aqua followed suit. "Por…"

Nicole nodded, glancing from her Pokemon to the area where the flashes were then back to her Pokemon. "Uh right. Yeah. Ok Aria. Return." she said, holding out the water/dark type's ball out.

The center of the ball activated, dematerializing Aria back into digital matter before sucking her back in.

Aqua climbed back onto the vessel and was at Nicole's side, still wondering what those flashes were. "Por por?"

Nicole shook her head in an attempt to get back on track with her work. "Nevermind that, Aqua. Let's go back inside. I still have to finish my notes and you still haven't finished your breakfast remember?" she grinned.

Aqua sweatdropped, nervously chuckling. "Por por…"

Nicole giggled as she lead the water type inside towards her workspace before a digital clock hanging nearby caught her eye. "Hmm. It's still kinda early so maybe we will have playtime after all!"

Aqua jumped up and down, a gleeful smile on her face. "Por Vapor Por!" she cried before scurrying off to her food bowl located next to the girl's metal desk. Sure enough, Aqua had only eaten half her food before heading off to play with Aria. Taking a sniff, she figured it was still good enough before taking a bite.

Nicole noticed this and smiled as she sat back down at her desk, scooting her chair in and getting comfy. "Still good?" she asked, looking down at her friend.

Aqua nodded with a mouthful of Pokemon food.

Nicole nodded back, smile never waivering. "Ok! Now I just need some quiet time to go through these slides and then we can play!" she reassured before turning to her microscope and picking her notebook and pen back up.

(Do you need anything Nicole?) Luna asked telepathically.

Nicole shook her head. "Actually I think I can do the rest on my own so you can relax! There's an apple on the table over there if you want. I don't mind!" she kindly offered, pointing to said table in the dining section of the cabin visible by an open door.

Luna smiled. (Well I do like apples. Thank you, Nicole!)

The girl smiled back before returning to her work with a relaxed sigh.

Luna walked over to the fruit on the desk and picked it up before taking a bite. Her face lit up as the sensation of sweet juiciness flooded her taste buds. "Voir!"

"CANNONBALL!"

The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, bathing the ocean with a warm orange color.

Nicole had finally finished with her work with just enough time to spare. Keeping her promise to Aqua, the brown haired girl dove into the ocean in her usual swimsuit before coming back up for a breath of air. "C'mon in Luna! The water's fine!" she insisted, turning back to the boat.

Luna was no stranger to getting wet but was hesitant. (Well if you insist…) she slowly walked over the rear before testing the water with her foot while holding onto the railing. Nicole was right. The water was pretty warm. Taking a deep breath, Luna took a step forward and let herself fall in, poking her head out of the water afterwards.

Nicole chuckled as she kicked forward towards her Vaporeon. "That's the spirit Luna!" she then turned to the water type, wrapping an arm around its body. "Ready when you are, sis!"

Aqua smiled, letting her trainer take a deep breath before diving under with the girl in tow. "Por Vapor!"

The two dove towards the reef which now seemed to be more active than it was hours ago. The evening sun's effect below water was breathtaking as the coral appeared brighter and more vivid. Swarms of Tropigill, Goldeen, Corsola, and other marine Pokemon swam about, going on about their business.

Nicole let go of her friend halfway, deciding to swim on her own. Upon arriving, she was greeted by a single Tropigill with an orange coloration and white stripes, an excited expression on its face. She gave friendly smile but also was surprised that a wild Pokemon would happily say hi out of the blue.

Aqua watched with an eager smile. "Por Por Poreon!"

The wild Tropigill motioned as if it wanted its new friends to follow before swimming off. "Tropi!" it cried.

Nicole grabbed onto Aqua once again, knowing she could never keep up with such a fast swimmer, before pointing in the direction the water type went.

Aqua nodded before pumping her tail and following the small Pokemon. "Vapor!"

Along the way, the two were joined by a pair of Luvdisc that glided above before swimming off. A wild Gorebyss darted past to apparently say hi before disappearing into a rocky crevice.

Eventually, the wild Tropigill came into view, only now joined by more of its kind.

Nicole tried hard to hold back laughter as she felt their small bodies rubbing and bumping against her skin. She let go of Aqua, joining the school in their swim for a moment before bidding the water types farewell and returning to the wonders of the reef.

Aqua was always right beside her trainer, never missing out on anything as well as providing protection if needed. "Por Vaporeon!"

Nicole happily nodded, agreeing with her friend while keeping a mental countdown in her head. Living by the ocean, Nicole would always spend her free time diving and improving her breath holding skill. Able to go 4 minutes and 10 seconds without air was impressive and handy in case of an emergency, yet every now and then she would challenge herself to stay down longer and keep strengthening her lungs. Nicole was still comfortable but knew it would be time to go back up for air soon.

Aqua suddenly gave Nicole a playful nudge, tempting her with a game of hide-and-seek-tag. "Por Poreon, Napor!" she teased.

Nicole grinned as she accepted the offer, reaching out for the water type.

But Aqua wasn't going to go easy on her trainer as she darted behind a rock, hoping Nicole hadn't seen her.

But the brown haired girl was right behind her, able to quickly tag the water type before pushing off of the rock's surface and swimming away, looking for a place to hide.

Aqua pumped her tail and began looking around for her friend. After a minute of searching though, she was more worried than anything. "Napor? Napor?" she called out only to jump back in terror as her trainer burst out of her hiding spot inches away!

Nicole couldn't help but giggle until a sudden burst of air exited her mouth. She instinctively covered her mouth to prevent further air from escaping before wrapping an arm around Aqua and pointing to the surface. "Mmph…"

Aqua nodded before powering upwards. "Por!"

Once above water, Nicole gasped, drawing in breaths of much welcomed air into her lungs. "Aah...thanks Aqua…" she panted.

Aqua nodded. "Poreon, Napor."

Luna swam over to her trainer looking worried. (Nicole! Are you alright?)

Nicole nodded as her breathing returned to normal. "Yeah. I'm ok...And I totally scared ya, Aqua! " she laughed.

Aqua laughed before tackling her trainer in an attempt to get even. "Vaporeon Por!"

Nicole was shoved under but was able to steal a breath before impact. She laughed, playfully shoving her friend only to be squirted with a weak Water Gun attack. "Hey! No fair! You're a water type!" she protested when suddenly she felt something grab her leg and pull her down.

Aqua and Luna gasped only for fear to turn into relief as Aria came back up along with her trainer, both laughing.

"Nice one, Aria! That actually scared me a little!" Nicole remarked.

Aria pumped a fist in the air on a job well done. "Lulla~!" she cried.

Everyone laughed and continued to play until Nicole realized that time had slipped past. The sky was now dark and filled with bright stars as far as the eye could see. "Ok everyone! We had our fun but now it's time for some shut eye. Aria and Luna, return!" she commanded once back on the boat, returning her Pokemon to their Pokeballs before heading inside with Aqua.

Tomorrow would be another busy day.


	2. Chapter 2

"Now Luna! Psychic! Full power!"

Luna did as instructed, clearing her mind as the power of her psychic abilities soared, an odd aura surrounding. The Gardevoir's eyes brightened into a heavenly white void as she managed to mentally grip the wild opponent: A wild Gyarados.

The beast screeched as it felt a sharp pain against its body before being thrown backwards into the water, landing with an enormous splash.

Nicole's tank top, jean shorts, socks, and shoes were soaked but as a marine biologist, this wasn't the first time she had been drenched with her clothes on. "Ack!" she coughed. "That's it Luna! Now finish it off with Moonblast!"

The wild Gyarados burst out of the water, attempting to use Take Down on the Gardevoir floating above the water. " _Raaaaaa_!" it screeched.

But Luna remained unfazed as she stared her opponent down before charging up energy from the moon, gathering it into a massive ball, and launching it at the airborne water/flying type. "Voir!"

The ball of lunar energy collided with the Gyarados, engulfing it in an explosion. The force was enough to throw the beast off course and into the water below, resulting in another large splash which rocked Nicole's research vessel.

The young marine biologist and her Vaporeon immediately latched onto the railing as they were nearly thrown overboard!

Luna smiled as she watched the wild beast float back up in a motionless and swirly-eyed heap. (Another victory for us!) she thought before teleporting back onto the soggy deck of the white ship. (oh my...Nicole? Will you need any help with all this water?)

Nicole shook her head. "I think I'll just take care of it this time. Besides, what's the point of owning a research vessel if you're not gonna take care of it yourself?"

Luna nodded before Nicole returned the psychic/fairy type into her Pokeball.

Nicole sighed as she headed inside the cabin to look for a mop and a broom, a wet squishing sound coming from her shoes with every step. "I'm gonna go change into my swimsuit. We're collecting more samples after this anyway," she told her water Pokemon.

Aqua nodded. "Por," she mewed, watching her soaked trainer enter the cabin then close the door behind her. With a sigh, Aqua looked around after some time of waiting, growing bored. But her lack of excitement vanished as her eyes fell on something in the distance. "Vapor?" Curiosity led the water-type to the side of the ship where she now had a better view of the mysterious object.

It appeared to be a large land mass in the distance, all by itself in the middle of the ocean.

An island.

As far as the water type knew, she had never seen any other islands in the area before. It was as if the land mass just came into existence…

Aqua knew that this was something her trainer had to see. " _Napor_!" she yelled.

Nicole came bursting through the cabin door, wearing only the bottom half of her bikini in combination with her wet tank top. "Aqua? What is it?" she asked.

The Vaporeon pointed towards the island in the distance. "Por Poreon Vaporeon!"

The brown haired girl walked over to her friend's side and gazed out into the ocean, protecting her eyes from the sun's harmful glare with her hands. "Hey! You're right! It _is_ an island...but if I remember the sea map, there weren't any islands in the area…" she paused, remembering the odd lights from last night. "Hmm. Maybe those lights we saw last night have something to do with this..?"

Aqua just nodded.

Nicole smiled as her curiosity and sense of adventure took over. "Nonetheless, as a marine biologist, it is my duty to catalogue and record any new findings!"

But Aqua shook her head, not wanting her trainer to lose focus on the task at hand. "Poreon Vaporeon? Vap Vap Vapor Vaporeon, Napor!" she reminded in Poke-speak.

Nicole frowned, realizing the water type was right. "Oh...right. My work is more important. But that island! It's probably filled with all kinds of fascinating mysteries that have yet to be found. But I don't want to get on my boss' bad side," she sighed, thoughts racing until a lightbulb finally went off. "Ah! Idea! Instead of playtime, we set sail for that island and do some 'special research' of our own!"

Aqua was shocked but then began considering what exciting and interesting discoveries could be made on the mystery island. Perhaps some new species of undiscovered Pokemon or even a legendary. Maybe some treasure or a lost city. "Por! Poreon Vapor, Napor!" she cried with excitement, bouncing up and down.

Nicole giggled at her friend's new-found enthusiasm. "Then it's settled! After work, we set sail for that island!" she announced.

After changing and ridding the boat of seawater, Nicole and Aqua entered the water once again, determined to find more samples.

"Ok Aqua. Dive!" Nicole said through her mouthpiece.

The Vaporeon nodded, obeying command by pulling her trainer down towards the reef. "Vap!"

The two friends glanced around at the scenery before them. Somehow the coral reef looked even better than their previous dive. Brighter colors and more aquatic Pokemon as far as the eye could see. It was breathtaking.

Upon finally reaching the bottom, Nicole released her grip on the Vaporeon's body and began her usual work of taking notes in her notebook before securing it back onto her belt and swimming ahead, beginning her search. "Alright. I'll be over here. Aqua, try that side! If you find anything, just yell! Got it?" she asked.

Aqua nodded confidently, a smile on her face. "Va Napor!" With a few pumps of her mermaid-shaped tail, the Vaporeon swam off to look for anything that would be worth studying.

Nicole watched her friend go before kicking her legs and looking around when her eyes caught sight of something on the sandy floor. "Bingo!" she exclaimed, swimming down. Upon closer inspection, the girl saw that the object was a long piece of coral with an odd substance covering the majority. "Hmm...interesting! Definitely worth studying!"

Yanking off a sample tube from her belt, Nicole opened the lid and carefully placed her find inside before sealing the container and clipping it back onto her belt.

With a proud nod, Nicole swam onwards, looking around for more samples. "Two more to go," she said to herself when suddenly, a wild Luvdisc darted past her. "Woah!"

The wild water type swam towards the reef where its friends waited. Nicole's knowledge on Luvdisc behavior made it apparent that they were indeed waiting as afterwards, the school of water types swam around their friend as if happy to see the newcomer before swimming off together.

Nicole giggled before something else caught her eye, causing her to freeze for just a second.

The silhouette of an unknown Pokemon loomed in the distance. It had a squid-like appearance but as a shadow, it was hard to make out any more features.

Nicole floated in the water for what felt like a few minutes before finally yanking her Pokedex from her belt and pointing it at the shadowy mass. "Wh-what is that…?"

"SQUIDDIM, THE BRIGHT TENTACLE POKEMON

EACH TENTACLE CONTAINS A BIOLUMINESCENT PATCH THAT HELPS IT HUNT IN THE DARKEST PARTS OF THE OCEAN. THESE LARGE POKEMON HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO EXCEED THE LENGTH OF A FULL GROWN GYARADOS."

Slowly clipping her Pokedex back on her belt, Nicole watched as the large creature slowly approached, now able to make out its features.

A large dark blue body with six tentacles, two of which were longer than the others. Each appendage lined with spots that emitted a bioluminescent glow. Both eyes visible on each side of its head: a yellow eyeball with a bright blue iris. While it wasn't as large as a Gyarados, it was still large enough to intimidate Nicole

Nicole wanted to scream but knew that any sudden movements might set the monster off. Unable to summon any of her Pokemon or even call for Aqua, the girl's only hope was that this Squiddim would either be passive or uninterested in her.

After staring at the girl for what seemed like an eternity, the wild Squiddim began to circle her slowly as if studying her, its massive eyes locking with the marine biologist.

Nicole fought the urge to move as her mind began to race. 'Well...it's large and it looks powerful enough to squeeze the life out of me...Maybe I can distract it long enough to get away or atleast find a place to hide, but if it grabs me, I'm as good as dead…'

Suddenly, the beast's patches lit up like a Christmas tree as its eyes widened before extending its tentacles out towards its prey.

Nicole panicked and swam away as fast as she could, realising that the Squiddim recognized her as potential food. With a terrified scream, she looked back to see the Squiddim giving chase, eyes filled with hunger. "Aqua! Help!"

The Vaporeon heard it's trainer's cry and rushed forward, blasting the dark/electric type with Hydro Pump. "Por!"

The wild Squiddim maneuvered out of the way just in time before continuing after the two.

Nicole gasped as she watched her Vaporeon receive a powerful Aqua Jet attack, sending the water type in her direction. "Aqua!" she cried.

The wild Squiddim continued on, propelling its body forward with great force, intent on doing the same damage to the human!

Nicole let out a fearful shriek as she swam out of the way, pulling the injured Vaporeon with her.

The Squiddim darted past but kept going before turning around for another try.

Nicole turned to her friend with a panicked look in her eyes. "Stay strong, Aqua! We're in serious trouble here so don't give up just yet!" she encouraged. "Please! I need you!"

Despite the pain, Aqua managed to upright herself and swim in front of Nicole, ready for battle. "P-Por!" cried the water type. Aqua wasn't going to let her title as 'Nicole's #1 Pokemon' slip away so easily.

Nicole smiled. "That's it! Now let's try something different this time! Shadow Ball!" she commanded.

Aqua nodded before charging energy in the form of a shadowy blobby mass then sending it at the approaching opponent. "Vapor!"

The wild Squiddim suffered a direct hit, finally coming to a halt within feet of its targets. It let out an odd distorted growl before charging at the Vaporeon, its patches generating what appeared to be electricity.

Nicole watched in horror. 'It's using Wild Charge underwater?! We're all gonna be fried!' her mind raced, desperate for an idea to stop the Squiddim's attack before an idea flashed into her head. Yanking off a Pokeball from her belt, she quickly enlarged it and threw it forward. "Aria! Use Attract!"

In a bright flash, Aria materialized in front of the two before giving a nod of acknowledgement and rushing forward. Quickly making a few adjustments to her hair, Aria turned to face her opponent before smiling and fluttering her eyes, making charming and rather seductive motions and movements. "Lulla~!" she beckoned before finishing with an imaginary kiss.

Upon locking eyes with Aria, the wild Squiddim's attack canceled out and all will to fight instantly vanished as love took over.

"That was too close…" Nicole let out a sigh of relief through her mouthpiece before turning back to Aqua. "Ok sis, now that it's fallen in love with Aria, it's our chance to take it down...that sounded weird…" the girl sweatdropped before nodding. "Use Blizzard, Aqua!"

The Vaporeon reared back before opening it's mouth and unleashing a fierce blast of freezing air that engulfed the unsuspecting Squiddim.

Nicole smiled. "Way to "cool" him down!" the girl giggled.

Both Aqua and Aria let out an annoyed groan at Nicole's terrible pun.

"Oh c'mon! You know it's funny! Atleast a little!" the girl argued before sighing, knowing deep down that her Pokemon were right. "Nevermind! Aria! Let's mix it up as well! Use Whirlpool!"

Aria obeyed, summoning a powerful whirlpool and sending it at the wild Squiddim, trapping it in the intense torrent.

Finally the monster came back to its senses as it struggled to escape the pull of the current.

Nicole let out a slight gasp. "Uh oh! We gotta bring it down soon! Aqua! Another Hydro Pump!"

Aqua reared back before letting loose a blast of pressurized water at her opponent. "Va-POR!"

The blast found its mark but unfortunately also caused the whirlpool to cease, releasing the wild Squiddim. Now free, the electric/dark type charged forward, determined to finish what it had started.

Nicole's mind raced once again. "...Aria! Siren's Shriek!"

Aria took a deep breath before letting out a loud ear splitting shriek accompanied by black ominous sonic waves.

Just before it tried to grab Nicole, the wild Squiddim was assaulted by the awful power of the Lullamera's signature attack. Once it subsided, the squidlike Pokemon floated in the water, dazed and weakened.

Nicole's face lit up as she uncovered her ears. "It's weak! Way to go, Aria!" she praised before yanking off a rather strange and unusual Pokeball from her belt. "Hope the lab is prepared for another breakthrough!" she exclaimed before tossing the ball at the stunned Pokemon.

After making contact with the Squiddim, the ball activated, sucking the creature inside and sealing itself shut.

Aria swam over to Nicole with a confused expression. "Lull Lulla Lull Mera Mer?" she asked.

Nicole didn't need any translation of any kind to know why her Pokemon was so puzzled. "That's an experimental Pokeball created for the soul purpose of sending back any new Pokemon that are found by researchers and biologist like myself! From what one of my coworkers told me, It's supposed to be connected to some master computer or something. Once it captures a Pokemon, the ball sends a signal back to the computer and then itself back to where the signal goes to which in our case, is the Marine Pokemon Research Insitute back in Paloma City!" she explained.

Aqua nodded as the information began to sink in. "Por! Poreon Por Por Vapor?" she asked.

Nicole nodded as well. "Yep! Once...and if...it reaches its destination, the guys back on land take it from there! Pretty cool huh?"

Both Pokemon nodded in agreement before turning back to the Pokeball which had ceased rocking as it sank. After a few seconds, the button on the device flashed green before appearing to dematerialize into nothingness.

Nicole nodded. "And there it goes," she added before pulling off Aria's ball from her belt and pointing it at the water/dark type. "Take it easy, Aria. You were amazing!" After clipping the ball back onto her belt, the girl turned to her Vaporeon with a smile. "Thanks for the save, Aqua. I thought I was done for when that thing came at me…" she recalled, shuddering slightly.

Aqua smiled back before nuzzling her trainer. "Por Poreon, Napor!" she mewed.

Nicole giggled before swimming over and hugging her beloved water type. "Did you find any more samples while you were over there? We still need a few more before we can head back up." she reminded.

Aqua pondered before a smile filled her face. "Por! Vapor Vapor, Napor!" she answered, urging for the girl to grab on.

Nicole smiled back before wrapping an arm around the water type's back. "Then let's go! That island isn't gonna explore itself!"

Once on the boat, Nicole, now in a new and dry change of her casual wear, got to work on her collected samples, taking her usual notes while sitting at her workspace with Luna accompanying her.

Meanwhile, Aqua and Aria splashed and played outside in the water while their trainer finished inside. The Vaporeon danced around happily while the Lullamera sang along to a rather edgy and upbeat tune playing on the radio resting on the deck of the research trawler. Aria smiled as she vocalized, often swaying and banging her hips and head to the beat.

(Are you sure you don't need my help, Nicole? It's no trouble for me! Really!) the Gardevoir insisted, smiling.

But Nicole was settled. "And it's no trouble for me either, Luna! It's my work/career/job. I'm the one who has to take responsibility. I just did some thinking and thought...what good would I be if my Pokemon did all the work? You know what I'm getting at?" she questioned.

Luna nodded, feeling a bit guilty. (Y-Yes. Sorry Nicole.) she mentally apologized.

Nicole giggled. "No need to be sorry! I don't have anything against you, Luna! I just think I should be more independent instead of letting you and the others do _everything_ for me! But don't worry! You're all still my trusted Pokemon and I wouldn't have it any other way!" the girl reassured before gently patting the psychic/fairy type on the shoulder.

Luna couldn't help but let out a giggle of her own. (And we're proud to be your Pokemon. So are we really going to that island today?) she asked.

Nicole nodded. "Absolutely! That's part of my job after all! A mysterious island that just pops into existence like that has to be filled with something worth seeing! But still...land masses don't just teleport or appear."

Luna nodded as well, raising a hand to her puzzled head. (That is true. But there actually is a legend of a vanishing island in the Hoenn region, remember?)

The girl's face lit up as the words entered her mind. "Hey! That's right! Mirage Island is what it was called, right? Or something like that...but yeah! Maybe...that island is the same one from Hoenn?" Nicole wondered.

Luna smiled. (It certainly is possible but there's only one way to find out.)

Nicole nodded before returning to her work.

With a sigh, Luna turned away when a sudden vibe hit her like a bolt of lighting, stopping the Gardevoir dead in her tracks. "..." After coming to, Luna turned back to her trainer to find her still hard at work. (Another dangerous adventure is ahead of us...I hope it's not our last…) the Gardevoir thought to herself.

The sun was beginning to set over the horizon as Nicole finally started the engine of her great research vessel. The motor roared to life as the propellers began to spin.

Nicole smiled as she raised the anchor before putting her hand on the accelerator once she felt the soft jolt of the anchor completing its retraction. "Alright Aqua! This is it! Time to set sail for our mysterious island! You ready?" she asked excitedly.

Aqua bounced with delight, not wanting to wait another second. "Vap! Vap! Vap!" she cried.

With a nod, Nicole shoved the throttle forward and steered the boat in the direction of the distant island, slowly increasing speed. "Land ho!" the girl laughed, unable to contain her excitement until remembering that she hadn't prepared for land exploration yet. She then turned Aqua with a look of slight panic on her face. "Aqua! Hurry into my bedroom and fetch my luggage please!"

Aqua nodded before taking off towards her trainer's room.

Turning her attention back to the sea, Nicole sighed before slowing the boat down in fear of colliding with any other ships or rock formations until a familiar ringing sound filled her ears. Nicole looked back to a counter on which rested her Pokedex with it's blinking light indicating an incoming video call. "Oh great...did I have to put it so out of reach?" she asked herself before glancing back to the ocean.

The water ahead was clear though the now darkening sky would make seeing a challenge.

Using the circumstances, Nicole shot out of her seat and rushed for her Pokedex before grabbing it but before the girl knew it, she was on the ground with her back against the floor. Apparently she had lost balance after the device refused to budge. After further inspection, Nicole sweatdropped to see her Pokedex plugged into a charging station which was mounted to the counter. "Well, I'm an idiot…" it was then that her attention was drawn back to the water to see a startling sight.

Ahead of the boat was a large rock formation sticking out of the water.

"Shoot!" Nicole cried before rushing back to the wheel and quickly avoiding the hazard. With a sigh of relief, Nicole rushed back to the counter before pulling the device from its charging station and heading back to the ship's controls. Unfortunately for the girl, the ringing had long since stopped. After flipping the device open, Nicole was met with a screen of missed calls, feeling incredibly guilty and ashamed of herself. "My mother, River, Netta, Ashley, Trent...MY BOSS?!"

Nicole felt a sense of dread wash over her as while her boss was mostly a carefree man, he didn't tolerate missed calls or late assignments/missed deadlines for extremely important matters.

Then came another ring.

Feeling fear and panic well up inside, she managed to take a deep breath after slowing the boat. "I hope he's not too mad…" Nicole gulped before answering and putting the call on speaker. "H-Hello? Y-Yes sir? L-Listen...I-I-I'm really sorry I didn't answer! I must've left the alarm off or someth-" she began to apologize, fearing her punishment or worse until a familiar and reassuring voice came through the speaker, cutting her off.

"Nicole? Honey! There's nothing to be sorry about, angelfish!" said a male voice.

Nicole's cheeks instantly turned redder than a rose as she smiled in surprise, placing her Pokedex on a seat next to hers. "Trent! Omigosh I wasn't expecting you, Sweetie! I thought you were my boss!" she briefly cleared her throat. "How's my prince charming been?" she giggled before turning back to the ocean ahead, taking full control once again.

"I've been good and busy with work...and thinking about you!"

Nicole's cheeks went even redder, appearing to even give off a faint glow. "Aw! You're so sweet! Yeah! I've been pretty busy myself out here collecting samples, taking notes, the usual stuff! I even found a little present for you, baby! I can't wait till I see you again cause you're gonna love it!" she exclaimed.

"Really? I got ya a little something too! And not only that, but...remember about the big Halloween bash held every year in Majestad City?"

Nicole smiled, bursting with joy already. "Of course I remember! I still remember the rides as a kid! What about it?" she asked, already having an idea as to what Trent was about to say.

"Well I managed to do some digging and guess what I got us! Two VIP passes which basically gives us a night of endless rides and haunted house attractions!"

Nicole squealed with delight, not expecting the passes to be so fancy. "OH MY ARCEUS! I love you so much, Trent! You're the greatest boyfriend a girl could ask for!" she thanked, nearly losing control of the ship in her excited panic attack.

"And you're the greatest girlfriend a guy could ask for! I love you too, my little angelfish! So how's Aqua been? Has she been thinking about my Umbreon lately?"

Nicole giggled. "I guess so! Yesterday I caught her looking through a Pokemon book I brought with me and she was staring at a picture of...well, I think you can guess!"

"Hahaha! That's funny! Everytime Shadow and I walk down the beach on our way to work, he always looks out towards the ocean! I guess they've been missing each other too! They're gonna be so happy once they see each other for the big Halloween Bash next week! So what are you up to now?"

Nicole smiled. "Well there's this island that just...flashed into existence one night. I know it sounds crazy but that's what I've concluded. Anyways, I'm heading for it right now to take a closer look! Hopefully I'll make some new discoveries and maybe even bring back a sample or two!" she explained, looking out towards the ocean and seeing the island much bigger and closer than it was before.

"An island that just appeared? Sounds like those Mirage Islands in the Hoenn region! You're probably bound to see some Pokemon that aren't native to Beya so keep that Pokedex handy as well as a few Pokeballs! You got any other Pokemon with you by the way? It's always a good idea to have Pokemon with different types cause you never know!"

Nicole nodded, a confident smile on her face. "Really Trent? Really? Of course I do! I always come prepared...most of the time. I've got Static, Primrose, and my newest member from Unova! We should be ok!" the girl reassured.

"Newest member eh? I'd like to see it once we meet up next week! Oh...I should get going soon but before I do, did you happen to send in a weird Pokemon with electrical tentacles?"

"Yeah. The Pokedex called it 'Squiddim.' It arrived? What happened? Did my boss say anything?"

"Well it certainly was an impressive sight! Squiddim are rarely seen in the wild and the guys are looking for more traces or samples so they're sending a team over to where you caught it. You basically have more time to yourself!"

Nicole beamed, internally cheering and congratulating herself on a job well done. "Really?! Sweet! More time to explore that mystery island then!" she paused, wondering how she could spend her extra free time. "Hey! I could set up a small camp while I'm there! After watching River do it back in Unova, I think I've learned a few things!"

"Sounds good but just don't stay for too long, Nicole."

The girl was confused. "What do you mean?"

"If that island does indeed classify as a Mirage Island, it won't stay there for long. Apparently, once it shows up, two days later it'll vanish or atleast that's the longest time recorded. It's unknown how or why it does this or what happens if anyone stays but I wouldn't want to risk it."

Nicole nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks Trent! So I'll see you next week?" she asked.

"Absolutely! Until then, take care, my little Luvdisc! I love you!"

With a smile, Nicole grabbed her Pokedex. "You too, my Hunk-tail! I love you too!" she then flipped her Pokedex off and placed it back on the seat before slowing the boat down further as it approached the island.

As Nicole finally dropped anchor after turning the engine off, Aqua returned with a large backpack filled with the girl's essential tools and supplies. "Por Poreon!"

Nicole smiled. "Thanks, sis! Good to know I can always count on ya!"

Aqua smiled back before nuzzling her trainer, purring affectionately. "Por!"

Nicole giggled before kneeling down and wrapping an arm around the water type's back. "Ok Ok! Hey guess what? Trent just messaged me saying that we have some extra time to ourselves thanks to that Squiddim we caught! Looks like we _will_ be having some playtime after all! Not only that but I also planned us a little camping trip on that island! How's that sound?"

Aqua beamed with excitement. "Por Poreon Poren Vapor! Vapor Vaporeon, Napor!" she cried.

Nicole smiled as well, feeling just as excited. "And you're the best Pokemon/sister in the world!" she then got to her feet and grabbed her backpack as well as her Pokedex. "Alright! I'm gonna head to my room real quick and make sure I've got everything! You can wait for me outside, Ok?"

The Vaporeon nodded before heading for the ship's main deck to wait for her trainer.

In a flash of light, Nicole, Aqua, and Luna now stood on the shore of the Mirage Island thanks to the Gardevoir's Teleport.

Looking around, Nicole's urge to explore grew bigger and bigger. "Wow...this place looks so beautiful and lush! I don't even know where to start!"

Aqua nodded with an excited smile. "Por Por!"

Luna however looked around with caution, searching for any potential dangers. (Nicole, please tell me you brought plenty of sprays and medicines. I'm sensing an incredible amount of activity from wild Pokemon...we'd best be aware of our surroundings.) she warned.

Nicole rolled her eyes. "Of course I did! What kind of trainer would I be if not? And where's your sense of adventure, Luna? Can't you just calm down for a minute? I know Gardevoir are protective but you Luna...you actually have me kind of worried about you sometimes."

Luna took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to calm herself. (I'm sorry, Nicole. I can try but still...it's important to be wary of your surroundings when exploring new ground. An adventure is no fun if it's filled with recklessness and danger after all!) she winked.

Nicole chuckled. "Well I guess that is true. Alright, we'll keep an eye out. You can take a break Luna! Return!" she instructed, pulling off the Gardevoir's ball from her belt and sending the creature back in before looking down at her Vaporeon. "C'mon Aqua! Let's start looking for a campsite!"

Aqua nodded before following her trainer.

Despite the sun mostly below the horizon, the scenery around was still visible. Lush green plants, bushes, shrubs, and other flora filled the area, admittingly making a path difficult. In the distance was the faint sound of a waterfall as well as the calls of many types of bird Pokemon, some familiar and some not so familiar. Large tall palm trees towered high above, adding to the beauty of it all. With fresh moist humid ocean air, the Mirage Island seemed to be a tropical heaven.

After walking for a few minutes, Nicole and Aqua froze as the familiar sound of rustling leaves and plants filled their ears.

Nicole quickly turned to her Vaporeon with a look of confidence and excitement. "Alright! Get ready Aqua! Looks like we got a welcoming committee!" she instructed.

With a quick nod, Aqua rushed in front of her trainer, ready for battle. "Vap!"

Out of the shrubbery emerged what could only be described as a walking humanoid carrotlike creature with large beady eyes, arms and legs, and a long stem on the top of its head with a leaf at the tip. It was rather small and frail looking.

Nicole stared in complete shock. "Sweet Arceus! What in the world is that thing?!" After grabbing her Pokedex from her back pocket, Nicole flipped the device open and pointed it at the creature.

[Photini, the plant swarm Pokemon.]

[Despite it's small and weak appearance, Photini grow stronger and work better in numbers. They can be found in the wild in different types easily attributed by their main color.]

Nicole looked back to the wild Pokemon which seemed to stare right back at her as if curious. "Color…? That one's red so it must be a fire type, right?" she paused. "Only one way to find out! Aqua! Use Scald!"

Aqua opened her mouth, spraying the opponent with a jet of boiling hot water.

The wild Photini jumped back in a panic before pointing the leaf stem on its head at the Vaporeon and pelting it with Ember! "Tii!"

Nicole gasped. "Definitely a fire type! Dodge it Aqua!"

Aqua dove out of the way of the burning embers, barely avoiding the attack.

The wild Photini's eyes showed anger as it looked to where it had come before letting out a shrill cry.

Almost immediately, two more Photini emerged in the same red coloration as their ally.

"Two more?"

Aqua stood her ground as the wild trio appeared to glare. "Por!"

Nicole frowned. "Sorry fellas but I think I've seen enough! Aqua, use Hydro Pump!"

Aqua nodded before blasting the three opponents with a pressurized blast of water.

The wild Photini fainted upon contact.

With a smile, Nicole sighed before walking towards her Vaporeon. "Whew! Nice work Aqua, though they didn't put up much of a fight, huh?" she asked, petting the water type.

Aqua shook her head with a smile before noticing ten more red Photini standing next to the fallen three, glaring at her and the girl. "Por?!"

Nicole jumped back in surprise. "Woah! Looks like the battle's not over yet!"

Immediately, the crowd of wild Pokemon aimed their leaf stems at the water type before wildly swinging their heads, causing copies of the leaves to fly at their opponent.

Nicole looked on in horror. "Razor Leaf!"

With no time to react, Aqua was sliced with the full force of sharp leaves, leaving her weak. "P-Por…" whimpered the water type.

Nicole gasped. "Aqua!" quickly thinking, she decided to switch. "Come back, sis! I don't wanna risk another Razor Leaf like that!"

Aqua managed to stand back up before rushing to her trainer's side as one of her Pokeballs flew into the battlefield. "Vapor!"

In a flash of light and an explosion of electricity emerged a rather plump yellow orange mouse like Pokemon with a long lightning bolt tail. A Raichu.

Nicole smiled. "Alright Static! Let's light em up!"

The electric type grinned as its yellow cheeks began to spark. "Rai!" it growled.

The wild crowd of Photini stood its ground before repeating another Razor Leaf attack.

Nicole gasped. "Here it comes again!"

Static braced himself as the flurry of razor sharp leaves came down. Despite the massive bombardment, Static powered through the attack with little damage. "Raichu!"

Nicole pumped a fist in the air. "Way to go, Static! Now let's show them our special move! Use Thunder Blast!" she exclaimed, sharply pointing a finger at the crowd of wild Pokemon

Static began charging electricity from the air as a dark storm cloud appeared above. After what felt like a minute of charging up, Static was engulfed in a blinding shroud of electricity. "Rai…."

Jumping up into the air, Static pointed his tail straight up before summoning down electricity from the storm cloud above and finally releasing the built up energy in his body in the form of a monstrous blast aimed at the opponents. "CHU!"

Once the light faded, everyone looked ahead to see all the wild Photini on the ground, eyes swirling and bodies black and charred.

With a proud smile, Nicole ran over to Static before scooping him up in a congratulatory hug. "Way to go Static! That was amazing!"

Aqua bounced with delight, thinking the same as her trainer. "Vapor Vapor!"

The Raichu, though weak and drained from the excessive charging, smiled as he enjoyed the praise from his friends. "Raichu! Rai Rai Rai!"

Nicole chuckled before looking up and noticing the dark night sky. "Guess fun really does make time fly by! Or atleast excitement…"

Aqua nodded, smiling.

"We gotta find some place to set up camp soon. Who knows what happens out here at night." Nicole said before turning towards her Raichu. "Ok Static, do you still have enough energy to light the way?"

Static nodded though hesitantly. "Chu…"

Nicole nodded back before setting the electric type down on the ground. "Alright, big guy. Flash," she ordered.

Static began to charge up again. After a few failed attempts, the electric mouse's cheeks and tail flickered and sparked brightly before finally lighting up the darkness ahead. "Rai…"

Nicole smiled before walking ahead. "Let's go!"

Aqua nodded, starting forward before crying out in pain. "Vaporee!"

The girl immediately turned around and knelt down in front of her friend. "Aqua! You're still hurting aren't you? I've got some sprays in here so don't worry!" she reassured before pulling off her backpack and rummaging through for medicine. "AHA! Here we go!"

After a few squirts, Aqua's cuts began to heal. "Por Vapor, Napor…" she thanked.

Nicole smiled, giving the water type a nuzzle. "No need for thanks! We're sisters, right?" she asked.

Aqua nodded, smiling back at her trainer. "Vap!" she happily mewed.

Nicole nodded back before standing back up and turning to face the trail ahead only to freeze. "Huh?!"

In their path stood a large humanoid creature that appeared to be made of stone. It had the exaggerated cartoony stature of a bodybuilder with a small bottom half and large mighty top half. It's head was rather small and looked more like a lump than a cranium. Its eyes were dark with a single yellow glow as pupils. It also had one key feature that stood out. Randomly scattered on its body appeared to be chunks of...solid gold!

Nicole gazed at the creature in amazement. "Another new Pokemon! What does the Pokedex say?" she wondered, pulling her device from her back pocket and pointing it at the wild beast.

[Goldmight, the golden muscle Pokemon]

[Commonly found deep in moist and damp caverns as well as underground mines, they were exposed to rock formation and plate shifting of the planet, eventually forming chunks of pure gold on their bodies. How much this gold is worth is yet to be confirmed.]

Static backed away nervously as the hulking mass of rock and gold slowly approached. "...R-Raichu…"

"Hang in there Static!" Nicole cried before turning back to her water type with an idea in her head. "Aqua! Rain Dance!"

Aqua nodded before moving around and bouncing about as a series of barely visible rain clouds began to form in the night sky, creating a downpour.

The wild Goldmight began to act in a rather cowardly manner before turning to the attacker and frowning. "RAAAAAAAGH!" it screamed before slamming its large fists down on the ground repeatedly, causing a tremor.

Nicole tried to keep her balance as her confident faced turned into one of worry. "Woah! Earthquake!" she cried.

Aqua tried to fight against the trembling earth beneath her paws but eventually lost balance, and fell into a chasm beginning to form. "VAA!"

Nicole gasped. "Aqua!?"

After a brief period of silence from the chasm, Aqua emerged struggling to climb out before finding herself back on flat ground. "Por!" she cried, still determined to fight.

Nicole beamed. "Way to go, sis! Now let's show him how _we_ fight! Use Surf!"

Aqua summoned a large wall of water, proceeding to ride it before sending it crashing down on the wild Goldmight. "Por!"

Unfortunately, Static was caught in the crossfire but managed to shake off the drenching.

Nicole sweatdropped, seeing her accidental betrayal on her friend. "Oops! Sorry Static! Return!" Pulling off the electric type's ball from her belt, she called back her Pokemon before retrieving a flashlight from her bag and using that instead, turning back to the battlefield afterwards.

The wild Goldmight stood back up and glared at the Vaporeon before grabbing a piece of ground from the earthquake and launching it at the opponent. "URGH!"

Nicole gasped. "Rock Throw! Dodge it!"

Aqua dove out of the way just before the slab of earth could crush her

"Ha! Now let's try Hydro Pump!" the girl exclaimed.

Aqua attacked with a pressurized blast of water only for the opponent to move clear, avoiding the hit. "Vapor?!"

Gritting her teeth, Nicole growled. "Shoot! Missed! Let's try surf this time!"

Aqua created another large wave and rode it, heading for the wild Goldmight.

In retaliation, the rock/steel type summoned another Earthquake, causing the oncoming wall of water to drain into the ground, ultimately forcing it to cancel out!

Nicole and Aqua were both in shock at what they'd just witnessed. "It just canceled out Surf?!"

Now with the wave gone, Aqua plummeted down to the ground, heading for another chasm opening in the earth. The water type screamed as it fell.

"Use Water Gun at full force! Aim it at the opening!" Nicole quickly instructed.

Aqua did as instructed, aiming down into the chasm before letting loose a powerful jet of water. Amazingly, the force was enough to shoot the water type off course from the chasm and land her to safety with minor damage.

Nicole beamed with excitement. "It worked! Excellent thinking, me!" she chuckled before turning to her beloved water type. "Aqua, are you alright?"

Aqua got back on her paws with a nod, smiling in reassurance. "Vapor!"

Nicole nodded back. "Surf didn't work...let's use Water Pulse!"

Aqua summoned a small sphere of water that increased in size before being sent at the opponent, forming into a ring of water before impact. "Eon!"

The wild Goldmight stumbled backward before regaining its balance, starting to stumble and wobble. "Rrrgh…" it grunted.

Nicole smiled. "We're wearing him down!"

Aqua smiled as well, feeling proud of both herself and her trainer. "Vapor Poree, Napor!"

Nicole giggled. "Of course we're doing good! We're a-" she paused, noticing the wild Goldmight going for something. "What's it…?"

The wild Goldmight grabbed the trunk of a palm tree and began pull, slowly ripping it from the ground!

Confidence turned into concern as Nicole realized what the hulking Pokemon was getting at. "It looks like a rock or steel type so it can't be Wood Hamm...STRENGTH!" she yelled.

The wild Goldmight grinned before chucking the palm tree at its opponent as if it were a simple stick but appeared to regret its action upon seeing the tree miss the water type, now hurdling right at Nicole! "Ragh?!"

Frozen in place by shock and fear, all Nicole could do was scream and cover her eyes, bracing for the worst splinter ever.

"NAPOR!" Aqua screamed before using Hydro Pump on the falling palm tree, successfully saving her friend!

Nicole uncovered her eyes and looked back to see the palm tree broken into two by the Hydro Pump, cratered into the ground a few feet behind her. "Wha? Aqua? Was that you?" she asked.

The water type simply answered by running up to her trainer and tackling her playfully, relieved to see her friend unharmed.

Nicole laughed as she fell to the ground, hugging her beloved Pokemon. "Hahaha! Ok Ok! Thanks for saving me there!"

Aqua licked the girl's face before they both turned to see the wild Goldmight looking away, its face filled with apparent guilt and sorrow.

Nicole stood back up with a frown, feeling sympathy for the wild Pokemon. "Hey there! Don't be so hard on yourself. Well yes, you did mean to attack but you clearly don't know your own strength. That's no reason to look so down! Accidents happen after all!" she approached with a forgiving smile across her face.

The wild Goldmight looked to the girl with an annoyed and angered look as if it didn't want anything to do with the opponents but froze before turning away.

But being the frown-hating person she was, Nicole was determined to help. "Hey! Quit being such a sour puss! I know it's weird...humans just don't suddenly feel for a random wild Pokemon like yourself but I work with them every single day! I love to do it and so does Aqua, right sis?" she asked, turning to face the water type.

Aqua happily nodded. "Vapor!"

Nicole nodded as well. "See? Even though we were fighting just now, you still have friends!" she smiled.

The wild Goldmight grunted before nodding in agreement. "Mrrrght.."

Aqua smiled before nuzzling her new friend. "Por Poreon!"

Nicole rolled her eyes then turned to Goldmight. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know of any places to camp or make shelter, would you?" she asked.

Goldmight tilted its head, puzzled. "Ragh…?"

"You know! Camp? Someplace to set up a tent or a cave or something?" Nicole clarified.

But still, Goldmight wasn't understanding her...

Nicole sweatdropped, realizing that this guy was more brawn the brains. "Make. Camp? Make. Sleep?" she simplified, making motions and gestures with her hands as she went.

"Poreon Poreon Vap! Vaporeon! Por Por?" added Aqua.

The rock/steel type finally nodded, eyes going wide as it understood. "Aaaaargh! Gooorgh!" it said before picking up both girls and hoisting them onto its shoulders.

Nicole was surprised. "Whoa! Hey! Hold on a second! My backpack!" she protested.

Goldmight picked up the girl's bag with its mouth before walking away deeper into the forest with a Vigoroth-like posture.

"Well I guess we won't be pitching the tent but I'm definitely not sleeping on such a cold floor…" Nicole said before walking over to her backpack and rummaging through for her sleeping bag.

Aqua meanwhile gazed out of the cavern entrance, looking out at the forest below.

Just as the sun had completely set below the horizon, Nicole and her Pokemon had found themselves taking refuge in the mouth of a cavern located near the summit of a small mountain on the Mirage Island. Nicole had managed to start a small fire to stay warm with her Pokemon while Goldmight had gone off to enjoy itself.

Finally, Nicole pulled out her pink rolled up sleeping bag and began laying it out on the rocky cavern floor. "There we go…" she paused, unclipping Static's ball from her belt. "Hmm….I should probably heal you up shouldn't I?" she asked before eventually throwing the ball down and summoning her electric mouse once again.

Static looked around, curious as to what was going on. "Raichu? Rai Raichu…" he wondered.

"There there, Static. Just healing you up after that Razor Leaf attack." Nicole reassured. "I've got a feeling you'll be battling again tomorrow."

The Raichu nodded before being sprayed by his trainer's medicine bottle. "Rai…"

Nicole smiled. "There we go. Not much pain anymore, huh?"

The electric type nodded, smiling, "Raichu Raichu!" he replied, sparking his cheeks with renewed vigor and pride.

Nicole quickly stepped back. "Woah! Easy there, buddy!" she giggled before sending the Raichu back in. "Alright. Have a good rest for tomorrow, Static."

" _Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh~"_

Nicole froze for a second before turning to the mouth of the cavern where her water type still stood. "Wasn't that...a Lullamera singing…?" she asked.

Aqua nodded. "Por."

"No scratch that...that was Siren's Shriek," the girl corrected herself. "Sounds like a fight going on down there…"

Aqua rushed to Nicole's side, looking around cautiously. "Vapor!"

But the girl wasn't as worried. "Relax, sis! It's probably just a wild battle. And even if we did decide to check it out, by the time we'd arrive, I'm sure everything would've already died down."

Aqua took a deep breath and nodded before walking over to her trainer's sleeping bag and laying down next to it.

Nicole nodded. "Good call...I'm just about ready to fall asleep too." she yawned, walking to her sleeping bag and taking off her pokeball belt, beige shoes, and socks, setting them next to her backpack before getting cozy.

Aqua smiled as she gave her trainer a nuzzle. "Por Poreon Por, Napor."

Nicole smiled back with a chuckle. "Yep. Today was another pretty good day. Let's hope tomorrow's just as good if not better!"

The Vaporeon nodded before moving to lay down at Nicole's legs. "Vap Vapor, Napor…" mewed the water type.

Nicole smiled and nodded back before closing her eyes. "Goodnight, Aqua…" she sighed, drifting off to sleep.

Almost immediately, Goldmight returned to find the two sound asleep. Not wanting to disturb, it found a nice spot to rest in the back of the cavern, also now keeping a watchful eye on the campfire for the two friends' safety.

Unknown to anyone however, in the darkness outside, someone was watching…

"Go Static!"

Faced with another wild Pokemon battle, Nicole had sent out her Raichu to engage.

The electric mouse Pokemon landed on the soft grassy ground before staring down its new opponent which Nicole now had her Pokedex pointed at.

The photo on screen showed a small pony like creature with large somewhat exaggerated cartoonish eyes, a small stubby muzzle, and a somewhat large head in comparison with the rest of its body. The photo then began to change into a different color and hairstyle, then again, and again, and again, showing infinite possible forms. Among the changing hair and color were horns and wings and even a crystalline body.

[Poneigh, the Equestrian Pokemon.]

[Famous for their popularity with young children, they are found in the wild with a seemingly infinite color and mane style combination. Horned Poneighs are capable of psychic attacks, winged ones possess the ability of flight and flying type attacks, and the rare crystalline form is said to use rock and steel type moves.]

The Poneigh in front of Nicole's pokedex was pink with a crazed, bubbly, and frizzy magenta mane and long tail. It bounced and skipped around happily...perhaps a bit _too_ happily.

Nicole smiled. "Well it is adorable, I'll give it that! But a battle's still a battle!" she then turned to the Raichu in front of her. "Alright Static! Start us off with Electro Ball!"

Static jumped high into the air as it began to pile up electricity into a sphere before sending it the opponent. "Raichu CHU!"

The wild Poneigh stumbled as the happiness was knocked right out of it. "Poneigh!" it cried before galloping at Static.

Nicole frowned. "Take Down! Dodge it, Static!"

But Static had no time to react as the pink equine Pokemon barrelled straight into him with full force.

Unfortunately, the attack had also damaged the wild Poneigh.

Nicole smiled as she saw her electric type stand back up. "Good going, Static! Now let's use Dig!" she ordered.

Static began to burrow into the earth at a fast pace, tunneling below within seconds.

The wild Poneigh desperately and frantically glanced around at the ground, looking for any signs of its opponent. "Pon?! Poneigh?!"

Nicole grinned. "Now!"

Static suddenly emerged from below, slamming into the wild Poneigh with great force. "Chu!"

The pink equine fell backwards before attempting to stand back up.

Nicole smiled. "Huh! This is surprisingly easy!" she chuckled.

But the wild Poneigh had taken it rather personally, it jumped in anger as its eyes appeared to turn red, its mane and tail practically going up in flames with rage. "NEIGH?!"

"Huh? Wait! No I didn't mean it like that! You're not weak!" she tried to apologize, the amount of sweat dropping from her head enough to fill buckets.

Though it was clear that the wild Poneigh wasn't listening as it summoned a multitude of star shaped projectiles and sent them flying at Static. It used Swift.

The attack successfully hit, engulfing the electric mouse in a series of explosions.

Once the smoke had cleared, Nicole was relieved to find her Pokemon still standing, though struggling to do so. "Static! Are you alright?" she asked,

Static nodded, wincing from the pain. "R-Rai…"

Nicole sighed, seeing she had no other choice but to fight fairly. "Well, I don't really feel like degrading my self-esteem by forfeiting to a cutesy candy colored pony Pokemon so I guess we'll just have to give it our all too!" she paused, taking a deep breath. "Use Thunder!"

Static nodded before charging up massive amounts of charged energy into its body before unleashing it as a monstrous blast of electricity. "Rai….CHU!"

The blast struck the wild Poneigh, sending what felt like trillions of volts of electricity through its body. Once the surge ceased, the normal type stumbled and wobbled before finally collapsing to the ground. "Neigh…"

Nicole smiled before taking off her backpack and pulling out an empty Pokeball. "This one's definitely coming with me!" she exclaimed before tossing the ball at the weakened Pokemon.

After hitting and sucking the creature inside, the ball dropped to the floor and began to rattle and shake.

...1…

...2…

...3…

The ball ceased rocking, sealing itself and successfully capturing the pink Poneigh.

Nicole gave a quick sigh before walking over to the ball and picking it up. "Welcome to the team, Pinkie," she smiled, placing the ball in her bag before looking to her injured team member. "Rest up, Static! You did well!" she insisted before returning the electric type into its ball.

After taking a moment to recollect herself, Nicole started for the cavern until an odd series of voices stopped her in her tracks. "...Other people…? Who else could've found this island?" she asked herself before following the voices to a hidden location outside what appeared to be a large campsite.

A rancid and horrible smell wafted through the area filled with dirty and rugged tents and sleeping bags. A fire was still lit in the center despite the bright morning sun. Then Nicole noticed something peculiar. All throughout the camp were flags with a skull and flaming crossbone design. Along with that, the area had been destroyed to an extent to make room as evident by the smell of freshly demolished trees, dug up earth, and piles of sand scattered about.

Nicole quickly hid behind some shrubs as she noticed movement nearby.

A man dressed in a black sleeve-ripped shirt, dark red pants, and black shoes strolled by, thankfully unaware of the spying marine biologist nearby. He was then joined by a woman in similar clothing with a skirt and midriff tank top instead. On their clothing was the exact logo as Nicole had seen on the flags: a skull and flaming crossbone design.

Nicole peeked from the bushes and saw that there were more of the same men and women. While they had different faces and skin tones, they all wore the same outfits, much to the girl's confusion...until a stray memory came to light. "...Team Aqua and Magma in the Hoenn region, Team Galactic in Sinnoh, Team Plasma in Unova, and Team Flare in Kalos...could I be looking at something similar?" she quietly wondered.

*SNAP*

The sound of a twig breaking underneath the girl's feet caught the attention of a few people who hurriedly approached the location of the noise.

With no time to react, Nicole found herself staring at a man and woman, frozen in fear.

"Well well well! Looks like we got ourselves a spy here! The boss is gonna love this!" the woman said with a sly grin.

But before the two could grab her, Nicole forced herself to move, diving out of the way and taking off as fast as she could. "Oh no!" she cried.

A few of the men each yanked out a Pokeball from their pockets before throwing them up in the air. "After her!" they ordered.

From the balls emerged a Mightyena, a Honchkrow, a Talonflame, and a Houndoom. The band of Pokemon landed and immediately followed instructions, chasing after the fleeing girl.

"Hide! Hide! Hide! Gotta hide! But where?" Nicole asked herself, looking around desperately for anything that would help her until she was suddenly grabbed from behind and lifted up.

"Dight!"

Nicole was relieved to see the wild Goldmight she had befriended. "Goldmight! Am I glad to see you!"

With a nod, the rock/steel type set the girl on its back before heading back to its cavern only to be intercepted by the Houndoom and Mightyena. It glared before swinging its large and mighty fists at the two attackers, sending them flying.

Nicole watched in amazement. "Whoa! That's worthy of both a treat AND a cool nickname!" she chuckled before a sudden sharp pain on her back forced a pained scream out. Looking back, she saw the Talonflame belonging to one of the men pecking at her and trying to force her off the burly Pokemon. "AAH! Stop it! Knock it off!" she pleaded, swiping at the bird Pokemon with one hand while holding onto her uncaptured Pokemon with the other.

Goldmight quickly turned around and grabbed the bird before it could fly out of reach and began to smother and bang it against the ground and the surrounding trees. "Ragh!"

Nicole frowned. "Goldmight! Are you sure you can handle four Pokemon AND protect me at the same time?!" she asked.

The rock Pokemon shook its head, seeing its trainer was right.

Nicole climbed off the Pokemon's back with a determined look. "Just get their attention and distract them while I head back to the cave! Aqua's waiting for me, right?" she asked.

The Goldmight nodded.

Then an idea flashed into the girl's mind, causing her to facepalm at her own stupidity. "Wait a second! Why didn't I think of this before?! Luna!" she exclaimed, yanking off the ball from her belt and enlarging it before throwing it down.

In a bright flash of light, the Gardevoir materialized and looked around. (What's going on, Nicole?) she asked, sensing concern in her trainer.

Nicole gasped and pointed at the now approaching band of pursuing Pokemon. " _That's_ what's going on!" she exclaimed.

Luna nodded with a determined look in her eyes. (Say no more! Whenever you're ready!)

But the girl had other plans. "No Luna! Not this time! I need you to Teleport us! Goldmight, tell her where and fast!"

After a brief explanation on the location of the cavern, Luna nodded, focusing her mind and sensing the air around her. (I'm afraid Teleport can only work if the place in mind is familiar but I can do something else! Prepare yourselves as this might be too much for your minds to handle...at first.)

Nicole nodded before clutching her head.

Luna took a deep breath and began to manipulate the space around her, causing the visible reality in front of her to bend and twist in strange ways. The world suddenly had an odd look to it. Random grooves in the ground, making it difficult to distinguish what was a bump and what was a pit, trees bent and curved, shrubs and bushes with broken proportions, as well as objects that appeared to camouflage and blend in with the scenery around.

Nicole opened her eyes only to be met with the faint sensation of a sudden headache growing inside. "Uh...I-I...wh-wha...Y-y...Huh?!" was all she could say.

The Pokemon who had been targeting the girl froze and looked around in extreme confusion, too distracted by the sudden change in the laws of nature to do anything else.

Luna giggled. (I had the same reaction too when I first used it. Nicole Porter, I believe you've heard of Trick Room?)

Nicole nodded, still trying to wrap her mind around the new scenery. "You learned…Trick Room…?"

Luna smiled. (Yes but to an extent. Remember back during our adventure across Beya that I wanted to learn a special move like how Static knows Thunder Blast? Well, this a little something I put together on my own. I like to call it Reality Warp!)

Nicole shook her head to snap herself out of her trance before turning to Luna, catching onto her idea. "Reality Warp...you use your psychic powers to create a real world optical illusion that confuses the opponent!"

Luna nodded. (You never miss a beat, do you?) she joked.

Nicole blushed before noticing the other Pokemon. "Huh? Oh right! They're confused so now's our chance to get away!" she exclaimed, turning to Goldmight. "Let's go!"

The two Pokemon nodded and followed after their trainer, leaving the pursuing Pokemon behind.


	3. Chapter 3

Nicole rushed into the cavern to find an anxious Aqua waiting for her. "Aqua!" the girl cried as she ran over.

Aqua dashed to her trainer before tackling her to the ground, relieved to see her again. "Napor! Vaporeon Vaporeon Por?" asked the water type.

Nicole giggled as she fell before nodding. "Well...A Talonflame pecked at me but that's not important right now! We have a situation!" she announced with a worried look on her face.

Luna frowned. (Situation? Of what kind?)

Nicole sighed. "We're not the only ones on this island anymore and the way they struck me...I don't think they're up to any good."

(And what are we going to do about it? We don't know who they are or why they're here or if they even have any bad intentions!) Luna said.

"Well does a skull and flaming crossbone prove anything because that's what I saw on their flags and uniforms! They could be pirates or some gang of power crazed Pokemon thieves!" Nicole assumed.

(Perhaps I can shed some light on that, fellow kindhearted travelers.)

Nicole and her Pokemon looked around for the source of the voice only to realize it was being projected into their minds.

(...In here…)

Looking deeper into the cavern, they could make out a faint equine shape and appearance much like the Poneigh Nicole had captured but much taller with large majestic wings and a long sharp horn. A long swirly purple mane and tail with a yellow streak adding to the beauty of its soft pink coat. It appeared to be donning a type of bronze armor on its hooves, chest, neck, and head. It's eyes glowed a faint white.

Nicole quickly pulled out her Pokedex and pointed it at the creature. "What the…"

[Amare, the Love Horse Pokemon.]

[Believed to be the guardian of Love in many tales and legends, Amare has been sighted only a few times. It is said to appear in times of hope and desperation as well as in times of love.]

The strange Pokemon smiled. (Only half of that was true. So you, young lady, are brave enough to defend my island from the wickedness that has befallen it? It is rare to find other humans setting foot here, let alone other humans that are capable of such bravery. First of all, I believe introductions are in order? You know me now, the guardian of this island. But I do not know who you are.)

Nicole smiled. "W-Well my name is Nicole and I'm a marine biologist from the Beya region. "These are my Pokemon; Aqua, Luna, and Goldmight."

The Amare smiled back. (It is very nice to meet you all. It's been so long since I've seen any humans on the island but I suppose it is true when they say that you should be careful what you ask for...now those greedy pirates are destroying my home…)

Nicole sweatdropped. "Uh I think the correct way of saying it is 'Be careful what you WISH for,' and...they're pirates? Then again the skull and bone thing made it obvious but the uniforms just threw me off…"

(Actually, you were correct on your other answer. They aren't just searching for treasure. The wild Pokemon that inhabit this island are being targeted by those ruffians and what's worse is that they plan to take them back and distribute them in some sort of 'dark market.') The Amare added.

"What?! That's awful! Now we really have a reason to stop them, Luna! Besides! We've faced evil before so this is no different! We're the only ones out here that can do this!" Nicole replied before sweatdropping again. "And the correct term is 'BLACK market, Amare."

Luna nodded. (So what's our plan, Nicole? We can't just charge in there and demand that they release all the Pokemon they've captured. And you can only have so many Pokemon out at one time.)

"I know, Luna...and we don't have much time here either. It's supposed to disappear after one or two days like all Mirage Islands." the girl recalled. "But if we did have more time, I guess we could make our move once night comes. We're easily hidden and they won't expect us by then."

Amare sighed. (It has a slight chance of success but If I were to combine my psychic powers with that of your Gardevoir, we might be able to keep the island in a sort of...frozen space. If we can, the island will be stuck in a temporary time loop, giving you some extra time to do what you must. But as I said before, it has a slight chance of success…)

Nicole smiled, feeling rather hopeful. "Well...it's worth a try! How about it, Luna? It could be our only way of saving all those Pokemon those jokers have taken." she asked, looking to the psychic/fairy type for an answer.

Luna thought for a moment or two before answering with a nod. (The amount of energy I'll be putting into this will leave me rather drained for a while...but it's as you said before: We're the only ones who can stop them.) she then turned to Amare and nodded.

The psychic/flying type nodded back before focusing.

Luna did the same and the two began merging their powers, generating a sort of gap in spacetime.

Slowly, the gap increased in size and intensity before engulfing the entire island...only for a loud burst of energy to startle the two and halt their progress, causing the gap to collapse and disappear into nothingness.

Both Luna and Amare recovered, panting and struggling to keep their balance.

Nicole made her way towards the Gardevoir with a worried expression. "Luna? Are you ok?" she asked.

Luna nodded. (A bit drained...but I'll be alright.)

Nicole nodded back, smiling before turning back at the sound of a gasp. "Huh?" The girl managed to catch a glimpse of Amare vanishing in a flash of light before hearing a sudden click from behind.

"Eon!" cried Aqua.

In a span of about ten seconds, Nicole's eyes darted towards her Vaporeon to find her captured in a net, then she noticed a man in a familiar black and red uniform holding a large weapon. "What in the?!"

The man grinned. "Say cheese!"

The gun fired another net at the girl and her Gardevoir, trapping them both.

Nicole gasped as she realized what was happening. "They found us! Luna! Teleport!" she cried.

(I can't do anything! I'm drained, remember?) Luna reminded as she struggled against the trap.

Nicole quickly turned to Aqua with a look of desperation. "Aqua! Try to break out!"

Aqua found herself struggling as well with Hydro Pump, Aqua Tail, Shadow Ball, and Swift, each attack doing nothing.

The man laughed. "Keep trying, babies. These nets are specially designed to be attack proof, especially from the inside! And watch this!" he pressed a button on the gun and suddenly, the two nets merged into one as if made out of a sticky gelatinous substance. "Pretty cool huh?"

Nicole glared. "No! Not cool at all! As an official protector of these oceans, I demand that you let us go! Your days of illegally selling these poor wild Pokemon for your own greedy and selfish gains are over!"

Aqua let out a hiss, adding to her trainer's warning.

But the man remained unphased. "Sorry kid. Even if we wanted to, when our boss wants something, she gets it! And we'll take out ANY unsuspecting do-gooders who dare get in our way! But I'll tell you what! I'm a reasonable man. If your Goldmight can beat my newest catch, I'll give you a chance. What do you say, kid?"

Nicole nodded. "I say you'd better hit us with your best shot, right Heavy?" the girl asked.

At first the Goldmight seemed confused until realizing it had a new nickname. "Might!" it proudly grumbled, staring down the man.

"Heavy? Pretty poor name but whatever floats your boat!" the man grinned before tossing a Pokeball and taking a few steps back. "Let's crush some rock, Dergroppale!"

Nicole was shocked. "Dergroppale?!"

In a flash of light emerged an incredibly tall and thin humanoid figure. It resembled a human wearing a neatly tailored black suit and black tie. With long, pale, and sharp bony hands along with a pale blank face made this creature look like a nightmare.

Nicole quickly pulled out her Pokedex despite the restricted space from the net. "Could it be the same one from…?"

[Dergroppale, the Slender Pokemon.]

[Believed to have been around for centuries, it has been the subject of many horror stories, myths, and legends. Dergroppale can cause extreme paranoia, coughing fits, strange mood swings and in dire cases, insanity. It has been blamed for the disappearances of many missing children and Pokemon.]

Nicole gulped as a flood of memories washed over her and her Pokemon. "Yep...that sounds like the one from Florinda Forest…"

The man laughed. "I see you're shaking already! Now turn that heap of rock and jewels into dust! Use Shadow Ball!"

The tall, thin, and faceless Pokemon began to charge up energy into a shadowy mass of blob before launching it at the opponent. "..."

Nicole watched as her Goldmight was hit directly, a large explosion engulfing the rock/steel type. "Heavy!"

Once the smoke cleared, Heavy remained standing, acting as if it had never suffered any hits. "Grah!"

Nicole smiled. "That's it, big guy! Now it's our turn! Use Rock Tomb!" she commanded.

Heavy began to smash at the ground in front of him, unearthing a few rocks that had been poking out and launching them at the opponent. Finally, he picked up a large boulder from nearby to finish the job. "Ragh!" he yelled.

The man laughed again. "Throwing rocks? That's it? If that's the best you can do, prepare for a massive beat down! Dergroppale, use Night Slash!"

The Dergroppale bent forward slightly as a set of multiple tentacles appeared to grow out of its back before the Pokemon vanished into thin air, immediately reappearing directly in front of Heavy, ready to attack with its tentacles which glowed a crimson red.

Nicole's mind raced. "...Ah! Flash Cannon!" she yelled, hoping her Goldmight was in fact familiar with such a move.

Heavy quickly gathered energy from the light radiating from its golden ore body before unleashing it as a beam of bright and powerful energy. "AAAH!"

The opposing Dergroppale flew backwards before striking a palm tree, causing it to shake. "..."

Nicole sighed with relief. "Whew…"

But the man was far from done. "You think that's it? Dergroppale! Shadow Sneak!"

The tall black creature suddenly vanished into thin air, leaving both Heavy and his trainer in a desperate panic. Suddenly, the Dergroppale appeared from behind and unleashed a powerful swipe with its tentacles.

Heavy was sent flying into the air before coming back down with an earth-vibrating thud.

Nicole frowned. "C'mon Heavy! We're not gonna let a little scary looking stick figure bring us down, are we?"

Heavy stood back up and let out a mighty roar in response.

Nicole nodded. "Right! Use Earthquake!"

Heavy began punching the ground repeatedly, causing it to shake. "RAAAGH!"

But the man remained smug. "Dodge it!"

The Dergroppale began to teleport around, avoiding the rising stalagmites and sudden chasms and pitfalls.

Nicole growled, starting to grow impatient. "Earth Power!" she yelled.

Heavy's body began to glow with a golden aura before slamming both fists on the ground with great force, causing a violent tremor as well as large cracks in the ground. With one more slam, a large mount rose from the ground, emanating incredibly hot steam before eventually erupting, sending chunks of hot rock in many directions.

The man had a look of surprise as he watched the geyser burst, sending a large chunk at the Dergroppale.

Even Nicole and her other Pokemon were impressed. "Whoa! I don't think I've seen an Earth Power like that before!"

The Dergroppale used its tentacles to shove the smouldering hot boulder off before standing back up as even more tentacles appeared from its back, giving it a closer resemblance to a spider.

The man smiled. "Ok! I'll admit that was pretty cool but I'm afraid playtime's over, girly! Dergroppale, use Jumpscare!"

Nicole froze. "Wait...Dergroppale can use that move too?!"

The nightmarish Pokemon began to shroud the entire area in a thick heavy fog, allowing it to fade out of view.

"Don't let it get to you, Heavy! It wants you to be scared!" Nicole warned.

But unfortunately, the eerie fog and paranoia caused by the opponents possible whereabouts made it rather difficult to be brave.

...when suddenly…

A multitude of hellish screams and pained cries accompanied the startling appearance of the Dergroppale right in front of the Goldmight's face, giving it one hell of a fright! "GAAAAH!"

"Now finish it with one more Shadow Ball! Full power!" the man ordered.

The fog immediately lifted as the Dergroppale charged another ball of shadowy mass before launching it at the opponent while it was still dazed from the Jumpscare.

The attack found its mark, engulfing the rock/steel type in a massive explosion

Nicole watched in disbelief as the smoke cleared to reveal Heavy on the ground, motionless and eyes swirling. "Heavy! No!"

The man returned his Dergroppale with a smug smile. "I guess that's that. I win so now you and your Pokemon are coming with us!"

"Us? What do you mean 'us?'" Nicole asked in confusion as Aqua let out another hiss.

With a snap of the man's finger, the same men and women that Nicole had seen earlier emerged from the nearby bushes and shrubs. Together, they grabbed the net and began carrying the hostages back only to be stopped by the supposed leader of the group. "Hold on. We don't want any drama so let's put them out first." he ordered.

The team nodded before one of the members sent out a Skuntank.

"Knock them out."

The skunk like Pokemon nodded before raising one of its hind legs and spraying out a foul gas.

Nicole and her Pokemon tried to resist but eventually succumbed to the horrible smell, losing consciousness.

"...ugh….Aqua? Luna…?"

Nicole slowly opened her eyes to find herself...suspended somehow. As her senses slowly returned, she remembered the net, the man and his comrades, the flaming skull and crossbone design, and finally, why she was waking up.

Looking around, the girl saw that she was still in the net but Aqua and Luna were nowhere to be found. Her eyes fell on the many men and women she had seen, along with a new face. A fiery haired woman in a dark red bikini top, black jeans, and high heeled sandals, her left hip bearing the same design as the uniforms of the others. With fiery red lips and eyes, she gave the girl a mischievous grin. "Hmm...Look who's awake! Our troublesome pesky little brat, Nicole. What a pleasure to finally meet you!"

Nicole glared, locking eyes with the woman. "How do you know my name? And who are you? You're the one who's in charge of this entire operation, aren't you?" she questioned.

The woman nodded. "Aren't you a smart one? Before we continue, I should introduce myself...you might as well have your final requests anyway. I am Ignacia, the burning leader of this wonderful gang of mine. And how do I know you? Well you can thank your Gardevoir for that. I'll be honest, she was one hell of a fighter though but I'm sure she'll sell for a high price along with your other Pokemon."

Nicole gasped. "WHAT?! Where are they?! You let them go right now!" she ordered.

Ignacia chuckled. "As we speak, they're being loaded onto the ship, ready for transport, but don't worry. We'll be sure to send our condolences to them saying you were such a heroic and good person."

Nicole was confused. "Condolences? What the heck are you…?!" the girl looked down to see herself suspended high above a raging waterfall before looking back and noticing Ignacia holding a rope with the help of some of her members.

"I know we only just met but unfortunately, I can't have anyone interfering with my operation. My boss just wouldn't be pleased with me. You understand how it is…" Ignacia said before loosening her grip on the rope.

Nicole suddenly felt herself drop a few inches before stopping. "You can't do this! Ever hear of 'what goes around comes around?' You're the one who's really gonna pay!" she warned, hoping to talk some sense into this greedy woman.

Ignacia sighed. "How long do you think I've been doing this for? Sorry kid but I've gotta get going soon. I've enjoyed our little talk though. Goodbye." she grinned before letting go of the rope then signaling the rest to do the same.

Nicole let out a terrified scream as she fell, the sound of the waterfall becoming quieter as opposed to the howl of the air and wind as bottom of the waterfall became clearer and clearer. She tried to reposition her body in an attempt to hit the water feet-first to reduce the impact and shock. A large splash followed bubbles billowing out as Nicole tried to resurface for air only to sink deeper and deeper from the weight of the rope and the limited space inside.

The deeper she went, the darker and colder it got until she finally reached the bottom, still struggling to free herself from the net.

Nicole looked around in desperation, looking for anything that might save her. 'If this is what River goes through on a daily basis, I feel so sorry for her…' she thought before looking up at the glimmering surface. 'Aqua...Luna...Aria...My Pokemon...I have to get out of here. But how?'

A faint burning sensation began to grow in the girl's lungs as she continued to pull and tug at the ropes in a desperate attempt to escape.

Nicole exhaled a bit to try and ease the pain in her body. The burning faded but she knew she'd reach her limit soon. 'Is this really it…? I'm powerless without my Pokemon and I'm obviously not getting out of this net...I don't have my mouthpiece either…'

"...glublrb…"

Nicole quickly covered her mouth, realizing all the energy she had put into trying to escape had depleted her breathholding time by a large amount. 'I need...to breathe…' The burning in her lungs now felt like the inside of a volcano. Nicole struggled to hold onto what little air was left as her body began to feel numb. Shutting her eyes, the girl began to accept her fate as her mind thought back to all the highlights in her life…

...until a bright glow surrounded her body…

'...huh…? What's happening?'

The glow began to overtake Nicole's vision until white was all she could see.

'Am I already dead? But it can't be…'

A sudden spasm shot through her body, forcing out more air and causing her to inhale water. Nicole began to panic and struggle, gurgling and grasping outward for some form of salvation as the water invaded her body.

'...no…'

The next thing she knew, Nicole was laying on the ground out of the water, coughing so hard she could see stars and spirals. With every cough and gasp, her lungs burned and ached, but she was alive...somehow.

(...Nicole! You're alright! Take slow deep breaths!)

The brown haired girl turned to see the world around her, now free from the net that had almost sealed her doom. The lush vegetation, the bright afternoon sun, the blue sky, and the welcoming fresh air. "...I'm alive…?" she coughed.

(Thankfully...I'm so glad to see that.)

Nicole sat up and looked around before spotting a familiar equine Pokemon looking at her with a worried face. "Amare...Was that bright glow your doing?" she asked.

The pink horse Pokemon nodded.

"You saved me...thanks Amare…" the girl wheezed.

Another nod from Amare and a smile. (Of course. We are friends and we must stop Ignacia and her gang from getting away with my subjects and your Pokemon!)

Nicole gasped as the memories of Ignacia flashed into her mind. "...You're right...Do you know where they are now? Wait...but even if we do find them, I can't do anything! I'm powerless without my Pokemon!"

Amare gave a brave and reassuring smile. (Yes but I'm still free! For the safety of my subjects and your friends, I shall stand by your side, Nicole!)

"You mean...You'll act as my Pokemon?" asked the girl.

Amare nodded.

Nicole nodded back with a smile. "...Really? Well...thanks!" she chuckled. "So...which way did they go?"

Amare flapped her wings and took off, staying close enough to the ground for Nicole to follow. (This way! Post haste!)

"I think we finally have enough Pokemon to call it a day. Alright everyone. Time to pack up and get moving! Let's go people!"

Ignacia chuckled as she ordered her crew onboard the massive iron-clad cargo ship before boarding herself as final preparations began.

One of the men stopped her shortly after boarding. "Ignacia! We've detected another Mirage Island about 10 miles away. Shall we land for more captures?"

Ignacia pondered for a second before nodding. "More benefit for us! Start the ship immediately!" she ordered.

The man gave a quick salute. "Yes ma'am!" he exclaimed before walking off to give his orders.

A loud roar filled the area as Nicole and Amare arrived to see the large ship starting to pull away from the beach. A sense of panic grew inside the girl as the great vessel got farther and farther away.

"Oh no! They're leaving!"

Amare's mind began to race. (...Nicole! On my back! I'll fly us aboard!) she instructed, readying herself for takeoff.

Nicole nodded before climbing on the equine Pokemon's back and clinging tightly. "Ok! Ready whenever!" she sighed, gathering her courage and determination.

Amare took off towards the departing ship, flapping her wings harder due to the extra weight on her back.

After flying up to the main deck, Amare landed with a huff as her human passenger climbed down carefully.

The large deck carried many colorful metallic crates and containers all filled with captured Pokemon. A large crane stood tall near the back of the ship which was currently at work loading the containers down into a large opening in the middle of the deck. Once finished, two long and large plates of metal slid together before shutting tightly, converting the opening back into the floor of the deck.

Nicole looked around for any signs of the crew members. After a moment of no activity, Nicole turned to Amare and motioned for her to follow as she slowly opened the door to one of the ship's rooms, leading deeper into the belly. "C'mon," she whispered.

Once inside, Nicole shut the door as quickly and quietly as possible before looking around to see a dimly lit passage heading downwards. The faint cries of Pokemon could be heard coming from the other side.

Amare smiled. (My subjects! They have to be at the end! We must help them now!)

Nicole nodded before looking up and noticing a blink red light. "Hold on...I think it's a security camera!" she warned before her mind began to race for a possible solution. "...Can you turn us invisible or something? We have to get down there without being spotted!"

Amare nodded back. (I can try…) the pink equine Pokemon began to concentrate, its horn giving off a faint glow before shrouding both the Pokemon and Nicole in an odd aura, giving them a transparent appearance.

Nicole quietly gasped as she looked down at her clear and transparent body, giving the illusion as if her skin and clothes were made of glass. "Woah…"

Amare pointed forward with a hoof, turning to the girl with an urgent look on her face. (We must hurry! It's effects are temporary!)

"Right! C'mon!" Nicole said before continuing downwards into the corridor with Amare following closely.

Upon reaching the end, Nicole and Amare were relieved to find a sign bolted to the metal door which read CARGO BAY ENTRANCE 01.

But to their disappointment, Nicole tried to open the door only to find it locked. "Of course…" she sighed.

Amare frowned. (Oh no! What are to do now?)

"Hey...Can't you use your psychic powers to unlock it or something?" the girl asked.

Amare shook her head, feeling slightly ashamed. (I can't do it without applying force. The crew will hear us for sure!)

Nicole grunted in frustration.

(...But I can distract them. Since I am a rare sight, they'll want EVERYONE to try and capture me! Meanwhile, you can look for some way to open the door and free the Pokemon!)

Nicole hesitated for a moment before nodding in understanding, seeing she really had no other option. "...Well...It's a crazy plan but we don't have any other choice! Alright Amare...just be careful!" she warned.

Amare nodded before vanishing in a flash of light.

Nicole anxiously waited for some kind of signal when a sudden burst of static from a nearby intercom snapped her back to attention, accompanied by the wail of an emergency siren.

"ATTENTION ALL CREW MEMBERS! WE HAVE A RARE POKEMON SIGHTING ABOVE THE BOW! WE NEED EVERYONE ON DECK TO ASSIST WITH CAPTURE IMMEDIATELY!"

Nicole smiled before realizing that her body had regained visibility. "As long as no one's watching those cameras and Amare doesn't get caught, I can do this," she paused before examining the door, looking for some kind of weak spot. Her eyes fell on a series of wires from the door, trailing to another dimly lit corridor. "...maybe the door opens if I shut off the power!"

With a smile, the girl followed the wires into the other corridor, eventually finding herself standing in front of another metal door labeled 'ENGINE ROOM AND MAIN POWER GENERATOR.' The door was unlocked, allowing the brown haired girl to enter.

Meanwhile, Amare soared high above the ship, successfully drawing the attention of most of the crew members onboard. She sped around, flying erratically to avoid the oncoming swarm of Pokeballs and Pokemon attacks from the crowd below, determined to catch the rare creature. "Mare! Amare! Ama! Ama!" she neighed, taunting the people below. 'Please hurry Nicole! My wings can't keep me flying forever!'

Suddenly, one of the women readied a familiar looking weapon before taking careful aim. "That's it, my little pony...stay right there…"

Before Amare could react, a large and heavy net fired from the barrel of the weapon, deploying itself and successfully subduing its target, sending her falling onto the deck below but not before hearing the ship's engine and equipment suddenly fail, getting the attention of everyone. (Oh no! They're heading for the main source of the ship's power!) the pink equine mentally exclaimed, hoping it would be able to reach the girl.

Luckily it did as Nicole quickly rushed out of the room and darted towards the cargo area. This time, the door opened and without a moment to spare, the girl rushed inside and shut the door before looking around for a place to hide, knowing the crew members would start to suspect something.

The cries of Pokemon filled the large room which was filled with crates, containers, cages, and glass tanks of many sizes. Just like the corridors, the large room was barely lit, making it rather difficult to navigate. The air was thick and filled with the scent of metal and iron.

The door suddenly flew open as Ignacia looked around with a look of suspicion on her face. "WHO'S IN HERE?!" she yelled.

Hidden and crouched between two metal crates, Nicole stood still and quiet, hoping she hadn't been found out yet.

"SHOW YOURSELF NOW!" Ignacia yelled, continuing to examine the room before finally entering, feeling another presence.

Nicole's eyes darted around frantically before catching the sight of a familiar Lullamera inside of a large aquarium-like tank stacked on top of another tank in the distance. 'Aria! If she's over there, then my other Pokemon have to be in that location too! I just gotta get to her without getting caught…' she thought to herself before looking around one more time for any signs of Ignacia. Once clear, the girl quietly started towards the Lullamera's tank.

Ignacia froze as she heard the faint echo of footsteps in the distance, confirming her suspicions. "I hear you! Show yourself already!" she loudly said.

Nicole began to go faster as the clacking of high heels began to slowly grow louder.

"The game is over! Come out now!" Ignacia turned to her crew members still standing at the door. "Why are you deadbeats just standing there?! Get over here and help me find the intruder or you're sleeping with the Sharpedo!" she threatened.

"Yes ma'am! Apologies!" one of the men said before the rest got to work, fanning out and searching for the intruder.

Nicole continued on, looking behind and around for any of her pursuers as she slowly picked up her pace, careful not to make any noise.

Aria looked around with a frightened and confused expression, wondering why Ignacia and her members were on such high alert. Suddenly, a familiar figure entered the water/dark type's sight, much to her delight. "Lul…? MERLA! Lullamera!" Aria cried out.

Nicole's blood ran cold as she looked at her Pokemon with a look of fear, desperately motioning for her to stop. "QUIET!" the girl mouthed.

Aria froze as the gestures clicked in her mind. Not wanting to spoil her trainer's cover, she tried to play along by banging against the glass and frantically looking around, trying to make it seem as if her sudden exclamation was just another panicked plea for help. "Lulla! Lulla!" she cried.

Nicole finally reached Aria's tank with a relieved sigh as her eyes fell on the rest of her Pokemon, all in glass containers.

Luna gasped before turning to everyone and ordering them to be quiet. (Everyone! Silence! Nicole's presence mustn't be known!)

Nicole smiled. 'I'm here to free you guys along with every Pokemon on this boat! And I think I have an idea!' she thought.

Luna nodded, smiling back as she communicated telepathically with her trainer. (We're all glad to see you're alright, Nicole! What's the plan?)

'That glass container...it's probably resistant to your attacks...but it can still shatter with enough force, right?'

Luna frowned. (Perhaps...but humans clearly aren't strong enough to break it…)

Nicole grinned. 'But maybe a fall can!' she then pointed to Aria's tank.

Luna was about to answer until she heard the sound of approaching footsteps. (Nicole! Hide!)

Nicole quickly hid behind a metal crate just as one of the men rounded a corner with a flashlight. After a minute of looking around, he eventually lost interest and walked away, giving the girl her chance to come out of hiding and continue planning. 'Ok I gotta do this fast! Tell Aria she might want to take a deep breath, Luna!'

Aria watched as Nicole jumped up and grabbed hold of the surface of the first tank before hoisting herself up and making her way towards the water/dark type's tank. "Merla! Lulla Lulla!" she happily exclaimed.

Nicole smiled back before placing her hands against the glass only to turn away as she realized that the crew had spotted her. "Uh oh!"

"Hey! It's the girl! She's still alive!" one of the women yelled.

Ignacia gasped. "WHAT?!" she growled as her eyes fell on the girl on top of the tank. "NICOLE! STOP HER!"

Ignacia's crew members started for the tank, making their way through the maze of containers while others just climbed their way over.

"Aah! Aria! Help me push the tank over!" Nicole exclaimed before pushing against the glass with all her strength.

Aria did the same, struggling to push the glass over the edge.

Ignacia and her crew were now closing in on the girl, getting closer and closer with every passing moment.

Nicole continued to push when suddenly she felt as if something was grabbing her foot. She looked down in horror as one of the men had finally reached her, determined to pull her down and stop her. "Hey! Let go!" she cried, still trying to push over Aria's tank when a woman caught up and grabbed her.

Aria however, wasn't going to give up, seeing that the tank was now nearing its tipping point. Repeatedly banging her body against the glass, the water inside churned and sloshed around, slightly adding to the force until the tank finally began to tip over the side.

Nicole struggled with her captors as she saw the tank falling over. "Aria! Deep breath! Then use Siren's Shriek!"

With a loud crash, the glass shattered upon hitting the floor, allowing hundreds of gallons of water to spill all over as well as granting the siren Pokemon her freedom.

Aria had followed her trainer's instructions, inhaling as much water into her body before hitting the ground then unleashing a deafening scream accompanied by black ominous sonic waves spreading throughout the cargo hull. The sounds of glass shattering and water running faintly filled the entire area as the glass containers had apparently been designed to withstand internal force only.

Ignacia and her crew were forced to covered their ears in a weak attempt to protect themselves from the sound based assault, letting Nicole go free and finally reuniting with her Pokemon.

Once the attack subsided, Nicole felt a vibration in her back pocket. Curious, she pulled out her Pokedex to find a new text message from Trent. She flipped the device on and quickly read the message to herself.

'POLICE ON THEIR WAY. FOUND SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY NOT FAR FROM YOUR BOAT. STAY SAFE AND BE CAREFUL. 3'

Nicole felt a sense of relief knowing she wasn't completely alone with her Pokemon. "...Just gotta hold them off until help arrives." she said to herself before looking up at an angry Ignacia, standing just a few feet away. "It's game over, you greedy witch! Let these Pokemon go now or I'll have to do things the hard way!" the girl warned with her Pokemon standing right beside her.

Ignacia laughed at the adolescent girl's words. "Me? Give up my operation when I've come this far? Over my dead body kid!" she growled, holding out a Pokeball. "Go Dergroppale!"

In a flash of light, a tall skinny humanoid figure appeared. It had the appearance of a man in a neatly tailored black suit with a black tie with long and bony-ish white hands and a pale white face...or rather lack of face. The creature stood tall and filled the area with an ominous and frightening dread.

Nicole gasped before pointing her Pokedex at the creature. "Could it possibly be the same…?" she wondered as a flood of terrifying memories filled her mind.

"Dergroppale, the Slender Pokemon."

"It is believed to have been alive for centuries, spawning many myths, tales, and legends of its existence. When in its immediate vicinity, it's been known to cause paranoia, memory loss, coughing fits, extreme mood swings, the malfunction of media devices, and in rare cases, insanity. It has been repeatedly blamed for the mysterious disappearances of children and Pokemon"

Nicole gulped. "Yep...sounds like the one from Florinda Forest!"

Aqua shuddered before seeking refuge behind her trainer. "Vapor…"

Ignacia laughed. "What's the matter? Too scared to fight? Prepared to let down all these poor Pokemon? That's just too bad!" she mocked.

Nicole glared as she gathered up every bit of courage, an idea in her head. "Just a little but I'm not losing to the likes of you! Besides, I've got a piece of nightmare fuel myself!" she exclaimed before turning back with a confident smile. "It's time to shine, Animareic!"

From the shadows emerged a large robotic creature that resembled a human female ballerina with an advanced, futuristic, but broken appearance. Unlike other Animareic, this one appeared to be made completely out of metallic plating as evident by the seams and lines all over its body. It was a pale white color with pink cheeks, purple eyeshadow and hair, a purple tutu with matching shoes, and a blue design resembling an athletic-like midriff. Its mouth appeared to be incapable of movement but the endoskeleton's mouth inside was. It's eyes were also shut tight yet it navigated as if it could see perfectly.

Ignacia was a bit startled at first. "Yikes! That's an Animareic? It's pretty flashy and shiny though!"

Nicole nodded. "I was pretty surprised too. The Pokedex says they're specially designed with state of the art features as opposed to the one's you're probably used to." she explained before activating her Pokedex and flipping to the entry page.

"Animareic, the Possessed Animatronic Pokemon."

"Believed to be possessed by the spirits of lost and vengeful children, these Pokemon become active mostly in dark areas or at night. This model was recently discovered in an underground storage facility. Along with the rest of the set, they are equipped with state of the art technology and design choices that were unfortunately prone to untimely malfunction."

Nicole's Animareic twitched and spasmed violently, causing its face plates to momentarily swing loose and exposing its endoskeleton which appeared to be constructed of hundreds of metallic hoses and wires. The mouth aligned with many dangerously sharp and pointed teeth. "...H-H-Hell-Hell-Hello. M-M-My name is-we are going to have a wonderful ti-i-i-ime getting fit while we eat some delicious people-le-le-le-delicious pizza! But don't overdo it! We must keep a healthy-"

Both Nicole and Ignacia stared at the animatronic Pokemon in speechlessness as its face plates shut themselves closed. Even Ignacia's Dergroppale took a step back in supposed surprise.

Luna, however, smiled. (Do not fear, Nicole! Remember that Animareic take pleasure in terrifying their trainers but they mean no real harm!) the psychic/fairy type reassured.

Nicole calmed herself as she saw the Animareic's eyes finally open, revealing pale orange pupils that seemed to stare at the girl in an apologetic and friendly manner. "...Just when I thought the nightmares would finally end…" she sweatdropped.

Ignacia shook herself back to reality. "Enough chatting! Time to finish you off once and for all, you little brat! Let's set the battlefield first with Mist!"

From seemingly nowhere, a heavy foggy mist shrouded the entire cargo hull, reducing visibility by an inconsiderable amount!

Nicole looked around in surprise and slight worry. "Uh oh! Hey wait...you're eyes may be closed but you get around by listening, don't you?" she asked.

The Animareic nodded without turning back.

Nicole began to feel confident once again. "Ok! Then let's start off with Shadow Ball!"

The animatronic Pokemon conjured up a sphere made from a shadowy bloblike mass all while listening for any indication of the opponent's presence.

Suddenly, Nicole let out a surprised gasp. "In front of you! Look out!"

The Shadow Ball attack immediately caused an explosion, damaging both Animareic and Ignacia's Dergroppale and sending them stumbling backwards.

Nicole ran over to her injured Pokemon. "Are you ok?" she asked.

The robotic creature quickly recovered as it assembled its unhinged metal plates on its face and body blown loose by the blast. After getting to the tips of its toes, it turned its head down at its trainer and nodded before stepping back into battle.

Nicole frowned. "That didn't work but we're not giving up! That explosion must've damaged Dergroppale atleast a little so atleast we did something! Now let's try Flash Cannon! On my signal!"

The Animareic's metallic body began to shine brightly as light-filled energy gathered. Once it had charged enough, the animatronic waited for her trainer's command.

Nicole looked around in the foggy dimly lit darkness for any signs of the opponent, becoming desperate and worried with each passing second for the Animareic's ability to hold the attack. Suddenly, her eyes fell on a faint but noticeable figure in the distance. "Now!"

But just as the Animareic finally unleashed the blast of light filled energy, the figure vanished, nullifying the attack.

Nicole growled. "It missed!"

Ignacia laughed from somewhere ahead. "Good luck landing any hits! As fancy and terrifying your robot may be, Dergroppale is a silent killer! We're gonna turn that bot into scrap!" she exclaimed. "Now Dergroppale! Shadow Sneak!"

Out of the sudden shadows, Ignacia's Dergroppale emerged before grabbing the animatronic Pokemon with a multitude of tentacle-like appendages appearing to protrude out of its back, and slamming and tossing the opponent around, finishing by throwing it into a nearby crate before disappearing back into the shadows

Nicole growled. 'C'mon Nicole! Think! How are we supposed to find something we can't see or hear...wait...what about feel…?' the girl quickly turned to face her recovering Animareic, now getting back on the tips of its feet again. "Every time you're attacked, don't you get some kind of malfunction or weird feeling...Well...BEFORE you're attacked?" she corrected herself.

The Animareic nodded before its head began to twitch.

Nicole smiled. "That's how we'll know where to aim! That Dergroppale may be silent but electronics always malfunction in its presence! And you're basically a sentient electronic...oh...sorry if I offended. You get what I mean?" she asked.

The Animareic nodded again before stepping back into battle, waiting on its trainer's orders.

Nicole nodded back. "Use Iron Head once you feel he's close enough. I don't think we're gonna get far with ghost type moves anyway."

The Animareic waited anxiously in the foggy darkness when suddenly it began to feel a disturbance in its components and servos. Dergroppale was getting closer. The malfunctions slowly got worse as its head began to twitch and shake. Once it became unbearable, the animatronic shot forward and surprisingly headbutted something. Something softer than the containers lined up everywhere.

Nicole gasped. "It hit!"

Ignacia was surprised. "Gah! Lucky hit!"

But Nicole wasn't going to let her Pokemon suffer through the anticipation and malfunctions. "Hurry and use Jumpscare!"

Quickly retreating into the shadows, the Animareic listened for the stumbling footsteps and movements of the opponent before revealing itself, jumping out at the Dergroppale before opening its face plates, exposing the horrifying endoskeleton and letting out a heartstopping screech.

"Now how about a Gear Grind?" Nicole exclaimed, admittingly not expecting an Animareic to know such a move.

But to the girl's surprise, the distance between the two Pokemon allowed the animatronic to open its torso plates and unleash a mechanism that caught the Dergroppale's arm, grinding it between two tightly positioned gears!

Nicole pumped a fist into the air, her spirit rekindled with determination and confidence. "Way to go, Ballora!" she praised.

"B-A-L-L-O-R-A….H-H-Hell-Hello there. My name is Ballora." The animatronic said.

Nicole nodded. "Your new name!"

"Th-Th-Thank you-ou-ou-ou...N-I-C-O-L-E. Nicole. What a nice name for such a nice child-ild-ild-ild. It's nice to meet you, Nicole!" Ballora kindly answered.

Nicole's attention was suddenly drawn back to the darkness with a gasp as she saw a familiar series of tentacles lash out from the darkness. "Look out!"

With no time to react, Ballora was immediately wrapped before feeling the intense gripping pressure beginning to crush her.

Ignacia laughed. "Lucky hits kid! But I'm afraid the battle ends here! Dergroppale, use Dark Pulse!"

The slender Pokemon's body began to glow a sinister crimson red before unleashing a wave of dark ominous energy on the animatronic Pokemon.

After being let go, Ballora immediately collapsed to the ground in a smoking sparking heap.

Ballora had fainted.

After a moment of letting it sink in, Nicole looked at Ignacia with a nervous expression until…

"THIS IS THE BEYA POLICE! WE HAVE YOU COMPLETELY SURROUNDED! ALL ABOARD COME OUT NOW WITH YOUR HANDS UP OR YOU WILL BE REMOVED BY FORCE!"

Ignacia glared at Nicole. "..."

The girl and her Vaporeon smiled. "Let's just say...I'm not alone here! And I'm not referring to just my Pokemon!"

Back on the Mirage Island, Nicole and her Pokemon stood on the shore as they watched the squad of police officers and authorities make their arrests as the sun began to set over the horizon. Now back in possession of her backpack and Pokeball belt, the girl felt like another day was drawing to a close. With a sigh, Nicole turned to her team members with a smile. "I don't know about the rest of you but after an adventure like that, I just wanna head back to Paloma and take it easy for a while. But first, I think a trip to the Pokemon Center is a must."

Aqua, Luna, Aria, Static, Ballora, Heavy, and Pinkie all nodded in agreement before being returned into their Pokeballs with the exception of the Vaporeon.

"Vap Vaporeon, Napor!" Aqua mewed happily before walking to her friend's side.

Nicole chuckled before stopping in her tracks to the sound of a familiar yelling coming from the direction of the police boats.

"NICOLE PORTER! YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE LAST OF ME, YOU BRAT! YOU MAY HAVE RUINED MY OPERATION BUT I WILL GET YOU SOMEDAY! THIS ISN'T OVER!"

Nicole rolled her eyes before turning towards the boats with a confident smile. "Yeah! Good luck with that, Ignacia! Remind me to write my will once you get out of prison!" she laughed.

"I'LL GET YOU, NICOLE PORTER!"

"Yeah! Whatever!" the girl added.

Aqua giggled. "Vaporeon Vap Vap Vap!"

Nicole shook her head before leading her Vaporeon back towards her research trawler only to stop upon sighting a familiar equine Pokemon.

Amare smiled as she unfolded her wings. (Hello again, Nicole. I can only assume that you're leaving?)

Nicole nodded. "Unfortunately, I am...then again I don't really have any other option. This island is gonna disappear soon and I also have a job to keep. That with friends, my Pokemon...yeah...I guess this is the big good-bye isn't it?" she asked.

Amare paused for a moment. (...Perhaps...or we may cross paths again someday. But I must take this moment to say how grateful I am to you. You saved all of my subjects from ending up in illegal exchange and other selfish matters. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. And I can also only hope that those two Pokemon you've captured will become a valuable addition to your team. But you also must promise that you'll take extra good care of them.)

Nicole nodded. "Don't worry, Amare! They're in good hands! And well...what can I say? I'm just doing what's right! But I couldn't have done it without some help from you too! You should be proud!"

Amare nodded back. (I am. I take great pride everyday as I watch over my subjects as well as this entire island, keeping it safe from harm. And I will continue to do so. I hope you take pride in what you do as well.)

Nicole chuckled. "Of course I'm proud! Not only am I making a living out of helping innocent wild Pokemon but I also get to enjoy my time out in the ocean with MY Pokemon too! Anyways...I should probably get going! Who knows when my boss is gonna start bothering me again for more work!"

Aqua chuckled at her friend's remark.

Amare did as well. (I understand. May your life be filled with never-ending joy and happiness and once more...on behalf of my island and all my subjects, I thank you, Nicole. May our paths cross again as we await your much welcomed return. Farewell my dear friends!) with a flap of her wings, the alicorn Pokemon took off towards mountain in the distance before fading into the air.

Nicole smiled as she watched her new friend go before turning to the water-type with a smile. "C'mon sis! We'd better start sailing too! I can't wait to see Trent again! And I bet you feel the same about Shadow, don't ya?" she asked.

Aqua nodded with a faint blush. "Por…"

Nicole giggled before giving her friend a few pats on the head. "Hey! Nothing to be embarrassed about! Let's go! I think I still have one more Pokepuff laying around in the kitchen somewhere! It might just be green!" she insisted.

Aqua immediately began licking her lips before following her trainer back to the research trawler, ready to finally relax after their tiring adventure.

Once onboard, Nicole headed for the small kitchen area and began rummaging through the fridge before smiling. "Aha!" she exclaimed before pulling out a green frosted Pokepuff and shutting the door then turning to the anxious water type. "Here ya go, sis! Just as promised!"

Aqua happily and hungrily took the treat from the girl's hand and began to eat, savoring every last bite.

Nicole watched the sight before her with a giggle before heading for the helm, eager to check her Pokedex for any new messages. "Let's see...River...and Trent." she pondered on which one to answer first before finally pressing on the screen.

"You called, honey?"

Nicole smiled. "You were the one who messaged me first, baby! What's up?" apparently River's call would have to wait a little…

"Well yeah. I also texted you. I was trying to warn you about-"

"Don't worry about it, sweetie! I took care of it...well...the police did most of the work but I managed to hold those smugglers off until help arrived but you know what I mean! And me and my Pokemon are all ok! We're heading back to Paloma for a break and a trip to the Pokemon Center right now anyway! Everything's just hunky-dory!" Nicole reassured.

"That's great to hear! Also...you know how I've told you about how Unova's gonna be holding its first Pokemon Contest?"

Nicole froze for a second. "Uh yeah...what about it?" she asked.

"Well...I was watching the news for a bit and I think I saw that River girl performing with some other girl who...I swear...it looked like...Ashley. I couldn't make it out cause the live feed just suddenly...went dead. I thought that was kinda strange...also makes me wonder what Ashley's up to nowadays. It's been awhile since we've last met with her hasn't it?"

Nicole nodded as she began to think back to her high school days with a sigh. "Yeah...I kinda miss her...we were best friends after all…"

"Hey sweetie...don't let it get you down! I'm sure she'll pop up again soon! It's not like she could've just vanished into thin air, right?"

Nicole chuckled a bit. "Well...I guess that's true. So uh...I don't suppose you'll be busy during my little pitstop at Paloma?"

"Unfortunately I kinda am...but hey! We'll definitely be seeing each other next week for the Halloween Bash! Can't wait for that!"

Wiping a small tear from her cheek, she smiled before starting the research vessel's engine and raising the anchor, ready to sail off. "Me neither! Anyways, I got another missed call and who knows when my boss will be giving me one too. So I'll talk to you later?"

"Will do, my Luvdisc! Love you!"

Nicole giggled. "Love you too, my Hunk-tail!" ending the call, she sighed before looking at the water ahead with a confident and optimistic smile. "...If Ashley's out there somewhere enjoying herself...I should be doing the same too. And it's just like Trent said...I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again…"

As the sun sank lower below the horizon, Nicole steered her vessel back for Paloma City, eager to relax and prepare for another day at sea...


End file.
